tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53899084732496449982024-02-20T09:05:48.909-08:00Carla Scarano D AntonioCarla Scarano D Antonio - I am an Italian teacher; poet; short story writer and painter. I live in Lancaster and teach Italian language and literature.http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.comBlogger225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-50107083094620405842023-02-22T09:39:00.006-08:002023-02-22T09:49:58.278-08:00Thinking about Carnival<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FQikY043oIys6h8a_pEpcIP5GBSeHEfrRI1cpbbbpXJ6KbFxMQVBHldiRP2s4bzN-W7B8RKbtfRJ_hdTaFavPlVOikDOQd4dFe4n48gd4Ak9SerUz6RfV1tq3LK2N4YyHXGYbIo8bfGLUPP6H91-rmothkemV5S394ZtUiMT5Y3mnS_wLTOtpVZR/s788/FpUVsCZWIAA3onJ.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="710" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FQikY043oIys6h8a_pEpcIP5GBSeHEfrRI1cpbbbpXJ6KbFxMQVBHldiRP2s4bzN-W7B8RKbtfRJ_hdTaFavPlVOikDOQd4dFe4n48gd4Ak9SerUz6RfV1tq3LK2N4YyHXGYbIo8bfGLUPP6H91-rmothkemV5S394ZtUiMT5Y3mnS_wLTOtpVZR/w180-h200/FpUVsCZWIAA3onJ.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>Carnival is just over, Lent is looming. Forty days of diet, maybe fasting for someone or giving up something you like. For me it would be dark chocolate and marshmallows. But I don’t know if I will be able to achieve it. Maybe it could be a good opportunity to lose weight. Carnival is the only Italian thing I really miss: the gorgeous costumes, the parades of children throwing coriandoli (confetti) to passers-by, dressing my children up every year with a different costume, and parties with traditional Carnival treats, frappe and castagnole. I can make good castagnole but only my mother-in-law makes the perfect frappe. The fabulous pictures of the costumes in Venice on social media made me nostalgic. Carnival is also a messenger of spring with its bright colours, jokes and fun. The weather gets warmer and you can feel spring approaching in Italy. Halloween is similar to Carnival, that’s why I like it so much, but not exactly the same.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnNC0-okcIY_pXwKzEVjovGfvGfeMrkWnESPHypAI_un4Io0Nn_MwXc7Cxt4bYu6NLSdS0cAlq_XTWxcHBTR5jH4kD4pcwSYA9h1F8NY3H0tVy6Pl_WMKhsGbB_tMF1dyS_PAUoBj-BDEdfF9GUdgjyyT0vSonWqjNhVKGGKANf6Yb0n0NJzL0Etx/s900/FpVwC7zWIAEks13.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnNC0-okcIY_pXwKzEVjovGfvGfeMrkWnESPHypAI_un4Io0Nn_MwXc7Cxt4bYu6NLSdS0cAlq_XTWxcHBTR5jH4kD4pcwSYA9h1F8NY3H0tVy6Pl_WMKhsGbB_tMF1dyS_PAUoBj-BDEdfF9GUdgjyyT0vSonWqjNhVKGGKANf6Yb0n0NJzL0Etx/w118-h200/FpVwC7zWIAEks13.jpg" width="118" /></a></div></span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">A picture, ‘Il Re Gallo’ (The King Rooster) by Stefani Pinci that I saw in Rome last Christmas in a private gallery (Galleria Arte Sempione) where her work and other artists’ artwork are on display, reminded me of Mediterranean colours, warmth and Carnival time. The style and<br /> technique she uses is called ‘tassello di mosaico pittorico’, that is, pictorial mosaic pieces which are made in oil painting. It is an award-winning picture that she exhibited at the Expo in Dubai in 2020. Eventually I bought it and now it has a place of honour in my living room. I couldn’t help writing a poem about this great painting referring to some lines by Emily Dickinson and to some of the titles of Stefania Pinci’s pictures that I found poetic. So I wrote a first draft in Italian and English and then split the poem in two, one in English and the other in Italian, one is more or less the translation of the other. Here are the poems and the picture:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPFvI9Q251GtHsOFaDp0Cw9mpdOxy5G6FPlCUmESJyO27O0v5RO7XnExePefIRvmEfdTQ41Wzy5PIa4xJ6EX9f7La99Hi_9-wocU2PFqgQW7uU_JxD-thhtXnWHQGp0v5UcjCu3tuV3SnaHufpN6PDmbzcUF3eJq2p2l6OMNhPU9cF0lGpgYX8nDD/s900/FpbFiv3XwAAi6oD.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="900" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPFvI9Q251GtHsOFaDp0Cw9mpdOxy5G6FPlCUmESJyO27O0v5RO7XnExePefIRvmEfdTQ41Wzy5PIa4xJ6EX9f7La99Hi_9-wocU2PFqgQW7uU_JxD-thhtXnWHQGp0v5UcjCu3tuV3SnaHufpN6PDmbzcUF3eJq2p2l6OMNhPU9cF0lGpgYX8nDD/w200-h162/FpbFiv3XwAAi6oD.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><b>The King Rooster</b></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Inspired by the artwork of Stefania Pinci and some poems by Emily Dickinson<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There is another awakening<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in a world of wonders,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">on Sunday celebrations,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">when waves of emotion</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and the singing of colour</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in another sunshine –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">where frost and darkness have been –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">explode.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The memories of the mind,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the surprise of the summer fragrance,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the golden sunset,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">where colours are friends</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and nature is alive.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The cicadas go crazy,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the King Rooster wins through</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">with colours of light</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">his head in flames</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">on a broken-up background</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">with fragments of sky</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in the pearl moonlight and stagnant waters.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The monochrome of the uncertain landscape</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">when the figure misses the appointment</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in a patchwork of still life against a black frame.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQxIMbg-usKjZOyaUkDWVg9jNuY4mlvnWM6rCiER-2-X3fZq4FvmTIalhcHmb2ZjRalyAh-AAs6i4S-9ScrHc73OQm__yqPAEpWrfLYP3Q3kTYzkuugkBsY7aGUDC6LoU_5u3P_unaz35YYLyTsIyTOxKtd2gCY13pQVK-ANn_ME6Uk1cCVfLYAaR/s1200/IL%20Re%20Gallo_Stefania%20Pinci.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1200" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQxIMbg-usKjZOyaUkDWVg9jNuY4mlvnWM6rCiER-2-X3fZq4FvmTIalhcHmb2ZjRalyAh-AAs6i4S-9ScrHc73OQm__yqPAEpWrfLYP3Q3kTYzkuugkBsY7aGUDC6LoU_5u3P_unaz35YYLyTsIyTOxKtd2gCY13pQVK-ANn_ME6Uk1cCVfLYAaR/s320/IL%20Re%20Gallo_Stefania%20Pinci.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Il Re Gallo</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Versi ispirati dall’opera di Stefania Pinci e da alcune poesie di Emily Dickinson</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">C’è un altro risveglio</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in un mondo di meraviglie</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">la domenica della festa</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">quando onde di emozioni</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">e la sinfonia dei colori</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in un’altra scena di sole –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">dove un tempo erano il gelo e l’oscurità –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">esplodono.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I ricordi della mente</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">lo stupore del profumo dell’estate<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">l’oro del tramonto</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">dove i colori sono amici</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">e la natura è viva.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Le cicale sulle colline impazziscono,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">il Re Gallo trionfa con colori di luce</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">la testa in fiamme</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">su uno sfondo spezzato</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">di frammenti di cielo</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in un chiaro di luna di perla</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">tra acque stagnanti.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nell’incertezza del paesaggio monocromo</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">l’immagine manca l’appuntamento</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in un patchwork di natura morta contro uno sfondo nero.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Stefania Pinci’s website is in Italian (<a href="https://www.stefaniapinci.it/ " target="_blank"><span class="s2" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.stefaniapinci.it/</span> </a>), but you can just browse her beautiful paintings even if you do not understand the captions. She exhibits regularly at Galleria Arte Sempione as well as around the world, such as in Boston, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Her subjects are animals, landscapes, still lives, views of Rome and female figures. Her paintings have a poetical, dreamlike quality and convey a sense of peace and warmth, an aspect I particularly like.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOsy99JNDuheyRr4T-UzVOB3Zxd_mU8Kjl5RZeVUZxbCsx4-C7HdVN1bMHdnXzBs2LA-uRU-O6pWOzfVo8V4kvJ9EWTxd3F7oy2O6Pm0X3-o_4PkYaB5-eyS-yF44l0s1RPM2DhsQFwHB5h4sWQf3g1bYM28CLcFBjqxeY20EA3oIPMmW1-UOQBgA/s900/FpajtfbXEAA1AEg.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="900" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOsy99JNDuheyRr4T-UzVOB3Zxd_mU8Kjl5RZeVUZxbCsx4-C7HdVN1bMHdnXzBs2LA-uRU-O6pWOzfVo8V4kvJ9EWTxd3F7oy2O6Pm0X3-o_4PkYaB5-eyS-yF44l0s1RPM2DhsQFwHB5h4sWQf3g1bYM28CLcFBjqxeY20EA3oIPMmW1-UOQBgA/w200-h133/FpajtfbXEAA1AEg.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">During half term we met our sons, daughter in law and granddaughter Violetta in Nottingham. It was cold and grey but we had a good time in a cosy Airbnb. Violetta had great fun in a playground with four slides, she had a go on all of them. She chased a black cat too that she called ‘catto’ combining Italian ‘gatto’ and cat. She can also count until seven mixing Italian and English numbers. We had fun reading Peppa Pig stories from booklets I found at a charity shop. We visited Wollaton Hall which has displays of stuffed animals and an original skeleton of a T-Rex, precious minerals and there were also deer in the park. Violetta enjoyed everything, especially the animals, both stuffed and real. At the bookshop I managed to find something to buy, two booklets for a few pounds, one about old rhymes such as Butcher, Baker and Candlestick Maker, the other one is titled ‘Cowslip, or Cautionary Stories in Verse’ (1811). They are distressing stories about unruly children and how they are ‘rightly’ punished and beaten. A different attitude from today.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzsT78EO1uqwS2Wi-LpmmIsi36-6Bwgs2OSAqUNyIdStjMBwVGj8Ae3SW5tBwVb518pyGQ_3D47cp8sK5wHgw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UzFzia27346rycJsim-LPGnScpnW9BxDsaGIVyaXWxxx6ADh1uQo1OWu6u6C_yrGdx1ASm99YBJhjP0BN8UJ-yTGb-QDzr7c8l_JvJAMDzBI7kFid27zl_p5MmV14VHCXgIThZPW2CU4W08mTknqYVtLvVHD6vLp55y95eikDle8rVw28nCUw7c2/s1000/IMG_20230203_110018.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UzFzia27346rycJsim-LPGnScpnW9BxDsaGIVyaXWxxx6ADh1uQo1OWu6u6C_yrGdx1ASm99YBJhjP0BN8UJ-yTGb-QDzr7c8l_JvJAMDzBI7kFid27zl_p5MmV14VHCXgIThZPW2CU4W08mTknqYVtLvVHD6vLp55y95eikDle8rVw28nCUw7c2/w150-h200/IMG_20230203_110018.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I spent the rest of half term week catching up with house cleaning, ironing, visiting friends, writing reviews, completing some paintings and I also washed my car on a sunny day. I worked on paintings about textiles, mainly for some submissions and a commission and made some cards. I am connecting textile patterns from all over the world exploring colours, shapes and techniques. I am extremely honoured to be the Resident Artist for The High Window in 2023. This gives me the opportunity to show my artwork and publish my poems.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I will focus on clothes, textiles and fashion. Here is the link to the first entry in the spring issue:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/category/special-feature/ " target="_blank"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;">https://thehighwindowpress.com/category/special-feature/</span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I also completed my new postbox crochet installation for Valentine’s Day. It has the shape of a tree with a heart inside. The title is ‘Nature must be at the heart’. I was chuffed that my picture with the installation was published in the local newspaper, <i>Chobham News & Mail</i> on the 9<sup>th</sup> of February. I strongly believe in the potentials of crochet art. <br />For Valentine’s Day I prepared little presents for family and friends, homemade soap hearts made by my friend Vittoria (Vittoria Artisan Soap: <span class="s2" style="color: #0563c1;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/artisansoaps2022/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/artisansoaps2022/</a></span>) and cards made by the students at my school. I will bring some of them to Italy too for my mum and her friends, as for me Valentine’s Day is not just for lovers but also for all the people you love.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWWUEvOaaQS7zPv58ec6danfRTaQb_TdHuDhQjwc69Q87Rg2TBOIoTzC9Lk1Uv3vUGVPHZvh-iUDlfSn7PMbIbLosrUOybTMl5-3rJ7J-N8AXuObVCOsRg2ap_OJBS3OyGWGr3GJfZx5Sjv3M9Aqse6chVBW4Y7GGk8KeKjcmMpfC2Dwk9X2fLA5Y/s1148/Vittoria%20hearts.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="898" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWWUEvOaaQS7zPv58ec6danfRTaQb_TdHuDhQjwc69Q87Rg2TBOIoTzC9Lk1Uv3vUGVPHZvh-iUDlfSn7PMbIbLosrUOybTMl5-3rJ7J-N8AXuObVCOsRg2ap_OJBS3OyGWGr3GJfZx5Sjv3M9Aqse6chVBW4Y7GGk8KeKjcmMpfC2Dwk9X2fLA5Y/w156-h200/Vittoria%20hearts.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the motorway to Nottingham, we stopped for the usual toilet break and cappuccino. I was shocked by the prices, £ 3.65 for a cappuccino and a few days before I had paid £ 3 for a tea in a pub in Twickenham. Unbelievable! In Italy the average price for a cappuccino (which is much much better than any Costa or Caffe Nero hot drink) is € 1.50 and an espresso is € 1.00. another shocking discovery is how much care homes charge in the UK. A friend of mine has just found a good care home for her elderly mother in Rome. She pays € 1,800 per month. In the UK it is £ 1,800 per week. I wonder what they do with so much money. Do they pay high wages to carer workers or have high renting fees? I doubt it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzb7lVx8IxnBzTkhHpafzIcqWS2OvF0EU81NvbxgGl_AAhciwypsx9W_Wt79drIHFqWA1gkM_WJ19ssjiF-WpxG5rL9OYT31gTtOjGWD-amqNT_ZbgC3GieOwiVMtkyev-MSwe0RmT7EikTG2FwcVHLTgsFdu1QYc3Z955_nZISsFQu4HGeOPaoTW/s1000/IMG_20230210_110145.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzb7lVx8IxnBzTkhHpafzIcqWS2OvF0EU81NvbxgGl_AAhciwypsx9W_Wt79drIHFqWA1gkM_WJ19ssjiF-WpxG5rL9OYT31gTtOjGWD-amqNT_ZbgC3GieOwiVMtkyev-MSwe0RmT7EikTG2FwcVHLTgsFdu1QYc3Z955_nZISsFQu4HGeOPaoTW/w200-h150/IMG_20230210_110145.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was a bit disappointed that as a TA I was not allowed to strike. Apparently, most of the TAs that the NEU contacted about the teachers’ strike didn’t reply so they did not reach the threshold (50%) that allowed them to join the strike action. As I needed some clarifications about my rights and role, I decided to join NEU. Nobody was on strike at my school anyway.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzpQSMIdFXtjJn4udX1LGGvTgfT9q5qd4WCCJy1r4tHZj5PEm-v2F_TqJ1rMS17sGOz7fEywAS8RIfjFVFScKi95TG5LPgS2ftlnNt9mKLcWp2rfsAuBOIMhWiTpWFBcbN2V1zUTbzgPZg9NdL4OY4pvSelz5ACfTbImLf_Qs6M97EiL6OhC8PxPj/s1000/Chobham%20news%20and%20mail_Feb%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzpQSMIdFXtjJn4udX1LGGvTgfT9q5qd4WCCJy1r4tHZj5PEm-v2F_TqJ1rMS17sGOz7fEywAS8RIfjFVFScKi95TG5LPgS2ftlnNt9mKLcWp2rfsAuBOIMhWiTpWFBcbN2V1zUTbzgPZg9NdL4OY4pvSelz5ACfTbImLf_Qs6M97EiL6OhC8PxPj/s320/Chobham%20news%20and%20mail_Feb%202023.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I had a few successes in my writing too. besides publishing reviews, one of my academic articles, 'An Intertextual Dialogue between Witnessing and Storytelling' on <i>The Testaments</i> by Margaret Atwood, was published in <i>Margaret Atwood Studies</i>, the journal of Margaret Atwood Society (MAS), volume 16 January 2023. Here is the link:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://english.sxu.edu/sites/atwood/journal/index.php/masj " target="_blank"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;">https://english.sxu.edu/sites/atwood/journal/index.php/masj</span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, you cannot access it if you are not a member of MAS. However, you can download the article from my website here:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><u><a href="http://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Examples_Of_My_Work" target="_blank">http://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Examples_Of_My_Work</a></u></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some of my poems have been published or will be published soon:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s4" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">‘Collage Machine’, <a href="https://www.spillingcocoa.com/collage-machine-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/ " target="_blank"><span class="s3">https://www.spillingcocoa.com/collage-machine-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/</span> </a>(Spilling Cocoa).</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">‘Holiday in the Alps, 1970’, in D&W newsletter (06/02/2023).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLxuAWNnp0nrs4QRxUYrkr0bcXSickWLm8pRJL9wRKZQthaLoE655TaRepwp8Z0WEjdURfUM3D4Rl3tYsLsCCBwXeDgYcqjRjVLdY9lkwvABAyi2R2NQo4tBtYWJubXpXhDavsTzrIQUJ_o44QZB-DWruL8tO_F3qNrT0jBAhQFepVuuG9reiU9iP/s1108/D&W_Family%20holiday%20in%20the%20Alps.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1108" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLxuAWNnp0nrs4QRxUYrkr0bcXSickWLm8pRJL9wRKZQthaLoE655TaRepwp8Z0WEjdURfUM3D4Rl3tYsLsCCBwXeDgYcqjRjVLdY9lkwvABAyi2R2NQo4tBtYWJubXpXhDavsTzrIQUJ_o44QZB-DWruL8tO_F3qNrT0jBAhQFepVuuG9reiU9iP/s320/D&W_Family%20holiday%20in%20the%20Alps.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">‘After the dream’, ‘Broken thread’ and ‘Snow haiku’ have been accepted for the next issue of <i>Bezine</i>, Beatitudes section.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">‘Tomorrow’, ‘Flowering Menopause’ and some haiku on insects and flowers have been accepted for the next issue of <i>Orbis</i> (203).</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">‘The light changing’ and ‘Speaking food’ will be out with the summer issue of <i>The High Window.</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My sequence ‘Valentina’ from <i>Workwear</i> will be included in <i>Cry Freedom</i>, a Poetry Performance anthology.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My proposal for a paper on Margaret Atwood’s <i>Cat’s Eye</i>, ‘Elaine Risley’s visual art: a reversed ekphrasis that challenges patriarchal narratives’, has been accepted for the Accute conference at York University in Toronto. I am so thrilled that I will finally have the opportunity to go back to Canada in May! I will attend the conference, present my work, maybe have time to visit Toronto and I will also spend two nights in Calgary to meet my Canadian friends, Josephine, Crystal and Pam. I am sure I will have a wonderful time and I will enjoy every bit of it.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFMxnjMuv2gX3DGXWM20_Bcp2P8Gkyi-lnYF_gxBlsTYY5GD8WrZpV_iK9WMgsye_Txz4vXH6R5yaNUPX0QsVxdL6I1xHKpEh3D-JxagtYElKZgJlEiXP6TRegVnQwK8Bl9117ZrdqHaBehIPaKhhyFgjSEDVGwdj2CwIy_GIFjsP9_5e9Q3xBqnW/s1368/Accute%20logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="1368" height="42" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFMxnjMuv2gX3DGXWM20_Bcp2P8Gkyi-lnYF_gxBlsTYY5GD8WrZpV_iK9WMgsye_Txz4vXH6R5yaNUPX0QsVxdL6I1xHKpEh3D-JxagtYElKZgJlEiXP6TRegVnQwK8Bl9117ZrdqHaBehIPaKhhyFgjSEDVGwdj2CwIy_GIFjsP9_5e9Q3xBqnW/s320/Accute%20logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9vTcLa_0Yj5o3M88HN8UuVCalxxgwcwZ0yt9cy5ntUyODfFHFwoMas1ethf_Ri1YhzLJ31rvsh1LZjWDMT9WnTonY_ZZ77AO4qYMV7cAFvTJiFaFqeZ73nTq_0zpcBglpnsVuh6oi71_nuTeHUDzCHewtzFnzZPnSqfw1wBGCD-tGZ59Fq-Lcm5O/s1280/Greg&Rodney.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9vTcLa_0Yj5o3M88HN8UuVCalxxgwcwZ0yt9cy5ntUyODfFHFwoMas1ethf_Ri1YhzLJ31rvsh1LZjWDMT9WnTonY_ZZ77AO4qYMV7cAFvTJiFaFqeZ73nTq_0zpcBglpnsVuh6oi71_nuTeHUDzCHewtzFnzZPnSqfw1wBGCD-tGZ59Fq-Lcm5O/w150-h200/Greg&Rodney.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The launch of my latest collection <i>Workwear </i>was super. I really enjoyed the evening and appreciated the support of my friends and fellow poets. The comperes, Greg Freeman and Rodney Wood, were matchless and the readings were excellent. I will read the poems from my collection again at The Lightbox on Thursday 23rd of February in the evening during WOL open mic, where I am also co-compere; it starts at 8. Furthermore, the Woking Writers Circle is organising a poetry evening at the Lionsheart bookshop in the centre of Woking (<span class="s2" style="color: #0563c1;"><a href="https://www.lionsheartbookshop.co.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.lionsheartbookshop.co.uk/</a></span> ) to promote our writings and attract new members on Wednesday the 15<sup>th</sup> of March from 6.30 to 9 pm. We will read our poems and share our writing experience and creative process.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGl0iEEh5y6P-spEJldyu0BTd01ZaUWqEYSjbVgYNo7X7hiXORHV8gvH98yWClMNx7u8JSuaDZF9dkFGTsdBCXC_6DUWe_IJ45hyPQ8PkjpkADAPkPn2b5kFKyWgxO4ezDGazFyTzEPyyTZMQhepFuIBSQepUYpWdF87xt4M9GANIJSg16v-fSzcy/s2248/Pinocchio.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="2248" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGl0iEEh5y6P-spEJldyu0BTd01ZaUWqEYSjbVgYNo7X7hiXORHV8gvH98yWClMNx7u8JSuaDZF9dkFGTsdBCXC_6DUWe_IJ45hyPQ8PkjpkADAPkPn2b5kFKyWgxO4ezDGazFyTzEPyyTZMQhepFuIBSQepUYpWdF87xt4M9GANIJSg16v-fSzcy/s320/Pinocchio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span><p></p><p class="p6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At Nottingham we also watched Guillermo del Toro’s <i>Pinocchio</i> on Netflix. The characters depicted as marionettes were enchanting and the story, though different from the original by Collodi, was captivating. It was centred on the relationship between the rebelling Pinocchio and his father Geppetto. They look for each other in a quest that is a personal search for identity and for love. The ending is moving with a striking conclusion: ‘What happen, happens. And then we are gone’.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEkmyUMKNm0LgXlNju5c6XtNRaglaWIaNpFsKGn-1u8F64t_VTkGp7dx8re4_mN3KRHF4n00XAnCbXsaA4Mpr94x5HBXJ8Xh531CDSvwL5m0doK7jw0FdS2QFxmGUF8wgptUVuNjotxbySHIrIJhp9IytD4xV319TKrs_1akGtUIFOyZ5tIEI27qL/s1000/IMG_20230216_143206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEkmyUMKNm0LgXlNju5c6XtNRaglaWIaNpFsKGn-1u8F64t_VTkGp7dx8re4_mN3KRHF4n00XAnCbXsaA4Mpr94x5HBXJ8Xh531CDSvwL5m0doK7jw0FdS2QFxmGUF8wgptUVuNjotxbySHIrIJhp9IytD4xV319TKrs_1akGtUIFOyZ5tIEI27qL/s320/IMG_20230216_143206.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPGCW4X_GUFHCgG8z_2SVassnug5Meq0XhTrnSFmxnG9ay0UamvR5bMe6tUW51gAuwsDtKR_HXgv8_YiNFMCiffS2YslgODWKuNS02D5o2JfhjiUPU1ZfBfkW2o2iKgds6WpebYiaLdcxsZ03tNuMFSaH3RX2Ws-L91WeY6nshBqEL3sXkDyTG4z9/s400/combined%20cakes.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="400" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPGCW4X_GUFHCgG8z_2SVassnug5Meq0XhTrnSFmxnG9ay0UamvR5bMe6tUW51gAuwsDtKR_HXgv8_YiNFMCiffS2YslgODWKuNS02D5o2JfhjiUPU1ZfBfkW2o2iKgds6WpebYiaLdcxsZ03tNuMFSaH3RX2Ws-L91WeY6nshBqEL3sXkDyTG4z9/w200-h100/combined%20cakes.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In February we also celebrated my husband’s and my daughter Valentina’s birthday one day after the other. I made lasagne and two cakes my daughter Irene decorated. Valentina loved the presents, a purple outfit (leggings, vest and jumper), the colour of Leela’s hair, her favourite cartoon character. She also helped us decorate her room with hearts and balloons. The staff that cares for her was very supportive, they prepared the table and organised a party for her in the evening.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">February is also the month when Sanremo Music Festival happens. The Italian President Sergio Mattarella was present too on the first night. I didn’t have a favourite song this time, but my favourite part was the outfits. I especially liked Chiara Ferragni’s dresses. She was co-host with Amadeus and gave a remarkable speech about how women should believe in themselves and never feel diminished. Her dresses by Dior, Armani and Schiaparelli reflected this thought with written messages such as ‘sentiti libera’ (feel free) and a necklace with the shape of a uterus. Other important speeches were delivered during the festival by Paola Egonu, an Italian volleyball champion, Pegah Moshir Pour, an Iranian activist, together with Drusilla Foer. Marco Mengoni won the song contest with ‘Due Vite’, here is the link to the video clip:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLozLExcY2plY_ERbNCilgkIgXjzN9QEWdsXmX2SouwdQJpQ6gNUojvLDDcciWm1yqo2JCL_Q_DwBQSOUXjgdvX6K02lhc_MQgAbMKZ1ipoFjgu3qS3HWpRYlsrVec_7Ct_onjKACil1Q3bCr-30IqYsVgpR9pkUUJ-mftFoos917-fWLgAURRe9CS/s399/Chiara%20Ferragni,%20Sanremo%202023%20outfits.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="399" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLozLExcY2plY_ERbNCilgkIgXjzN9QEWdsXmX2SouwdQJpQ6gNUojvLDDcciWm1yqo2JCL_Q_DwBQSOUXjgdvX6K02lhc_MQgAbMKZ1ipoFjgu3qS3HWpRYlsrVec_7Ct_onjKACil1Q3bCr-30IqYsVgpR9pkUUJ-mftFoos917-fWLgAURRe9CS/s320/Chiara%20Ferragni,%20Sanremo%202023%20outfits.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p7" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px 0px 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.raiplay.it/video/2023/02/Sanremo-2023-serata-finale-Marco-Mengoni-canta-Due-vite-0a7d827c-a5f2-4415-aa8f-89551c01a6f4.html" target="_blank">https://www.raiplay.it/video/2023/02/Sanremo-2023-serata-finale-Marco-Mengoni-canta-Due-vite-0a7d827c-a5f2-4415-aa8f-89551c01a6f4.html</a></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and here is the English translation:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://lyricstranslate.com/en/due-vite-two-lifes.html" target="_blank">https://lyricstranslate.com/en/due-vite-two-lifes.html</a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The show was surprisingly politically oriented with episodes such as Fedez ripping the photo of Galeazzo Bignami, the undersecretary at the infrastructure ministry, who was wearing a Nazi armband. The festival had sexual undertones too. The rapper Rosa Chemical kissed Fedez on the mouth and simulated a sexual act. The PM Giorgia Meloni was infuriated.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB__djnbgV5KlGd49jCNSKkV_E7WgD7s3dQONVSx-gMSyAitUzrRwYD65XtMWCJ8vh5C1SA3WwY8y_2np-1g7EZU7wvnjQd-ThO6gII2vVz9MHKc6FQI7Wq1nEeRdlgMP5ImrpQtMKZBFpxWfRngqPiKUc7yez0M9sSNe45CsFFzP4kWgWlPPlTay-/s656/foto%20combo%20donne-kkwC-U34001096442981AcC-656x492@Corriere-Web-Sezioni.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="656" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB__djnbgV5KlGd49jCNSKkV_E7WgD7s3dQONVSx-gMSyAitUzrRwYD65XtMWCJ8vh5C1SA3WwY8y_2np-1g7EZU7wvnjQd-ThO6gII2vVz9MHKc6FQI7Wq1nEeRdlgMP5ImrpQtMKZBFpxWfRngqPiKUc7yez0M9sSNe45CsFFzP4kWgWlPPlTay-/w200-h150/foto%20combo%20donne-kkwC-U34001096442981AcC-656x492@Corriere-Web-Sezioni.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In regards to women in politics, we had a number of resignations. Angela Merkel in 2021 and more recently Jacinta Arden, the New Zealand PM, Liz Truss and finally Nicola Sturgeon. Apart from Merkel, who served as Chancellor of Germany for a long period and was over 60 when she stepped down, all the other are younger than 50 or just over 50. I wonder why men like Joe Biden for example last longer as politicians than women.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was flabbergasted by the work of Cy Twombly. His magnificent heart and apparently messy artwork are mesmerising and thought-provoking. I think I will copy him. Here is a link to an interesting article:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjSmkZed7Khwg1SVomh3DGQHOSq9h50fqpzZL47XIFZBYSrkgTo5hl_r1rn3gi-JtxzmJfSKMJ-AG3UyTA3HDBH8k0VLid8LYuVOc3qCCEJhMP9Hz2AspkwOMpJlRKG-WfOCAlL0GxAU81EcCnZLxCq1Y-BVIUgupwfquCoGzxlPVRspfslSOgZvG/s417/my%20heart_cytwomblypan1980collezioneyvonlambe.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="380" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjSmkZed7Khwg1SVomh3DGQHOSq9h50fqpzZL47XIFZBYSrkgTo5hl_r1rn3gi-JtxzmJfSKMJ-AG3UyTA3HDBH8k0VLid8LYuVOc3qCCEJhMP9Hz2AspkwOMpJlRKG-WfOCAlL0GxAU81EcCnZLxCq1Y-BVIUgupwfquCoGzxlPVRspfslSOgZvG/w183-h200/my%20heart_cytwomblypan1980collezioneyvonlambe.webp" width="183" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-art-world/cy-twombly-the-content-painter" target="_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-art-world/cy-twombly-the-content-painter</a></span></span></p><p class="p9" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzhDJmid0Z01lJ1rkimuAqOswdbPsvETmfIWv93G3B9rJ6axnD_T3TlBmjly6sfFkoLLaaM-N_8Sn_E1IKVXJ3WtID1zUkNRzR7ih5mGiwmPT2yxTZd9X7QrVgWPYYOtj83PRBNiV5VwShAK49XtF8q6r9DPBmM0y0OY9pnuS90eBEkLB9JisKapL/s1000/pancakes%202023.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzhDJmid0Z01lJ1rkimuAqOswdbPsvETmfIWv93G3B9rJ6axnD_T3TlBmjly6sfFkoLLaaM-N_8Sn_E1IKVXJ3WtID1zUkNRzR7ih5mGiwmPT2yxTZd9X7QrVgWPYYOtj83PRBNiV5VwShAK49XtF8q6r9DPBmM0y0OY9pnuS90eBEkLB9JisKapL/w200-h150/pancakes%202023.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I made pancakes of course. Fluffy pancakes with self-raising flour, eggs, mashed potatoes and mozzarella, and traditional pancakes with flour, salt, eggs and milk, lemon and sugar on top, with the option of Nutella or honey.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Daffodils are blooming everywhere. I love their resilience in whatever weather and their colours that range from pale yellow to orange. Better days are coming, despite wars, killings and calamities there is still hope.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_8IWjS8na0iUHWUVXQ0djF0-tw3W56mhX3x86LP0PMJ5ipgAQEfqnZNSPjVcAFhzPy4j_QTzy9AY0mljfC8vnZIaJrOtvzqfuswlDdISrq09TCkSL6a-TJIPuojEpNSPHBuftM8Gk67Q2F8xvt_1jBnVuQAKGq0x59veRtgr8t3Ci0-PM4_-cJW5/s600/daffodils.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_8IWjS8na0iUHWUVXQ0djF0-tw3W56mhX3x86LP0PMJ5ipgAQEfqnZNSPjVcAFhzPy4j_QTzy9AY0mljfC8vnZIaJrOtvzqfuswlDdISrq09TCkSL6a-TJIPuojEpNSPHBuftM8Gk67Q2F8xvt_1jBnVuQAKGq0x59veRtgr8t3Ci0-PM4_-cJW5/w400-h266/daffodils.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-50571233522911624982023-01-27T06:32:00.002-08:002023-01-27T06:47:52.138-08:00Enjoying Christmas time with my mum<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyGyRI4iHzsnn0c1j1ZZ6r9vveoPYupPzA65VDNHRIxzpjNWG1PSFBo8bdWcqy6LuGQxjGzdQxzSNqy9Xx60OGd4wlLtmiW4GneycJzYNiV6fMN8kb3X-knfg3GRef7c8w3-_PqHdnCLiHDzLG3uYrU0uByN-DB2915CZMtvZXrjekPs8KpE5tSoS/s1173/IMG-20221223-WA0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1173" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyGyRI4iHzsnn0c1j1ZZ6r9vveoPYupPzA65VDNHRIxzpjNWG1PSFBo8bdWcqy6LuGQxjGzdQxzSNqy9Xx60OGd4wlLtmiW4GneycJzYNiV6fMN8kb3X-knfg3GRef7c8w3-_PqHdnCLiHDzLG3uYrU0uByN-DB2915CZMtvZXrjekPs8KpE5tSoS/w200-h153/IMG-20221223-WA0009.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Going back to Italy is always a treat. I re-connect with friends and spend leisure time with my mum. She is 92 and sometimes I worry about her. However, when I see her and phone her, she seems fine and I am glad that she is still independent. She has a full-time carer, Ina from Moldova, but my mum can get dressed on her own and she also cooks, does some cleaning as well as doing knitting an<br />d crochet. When I stay with her during holidays, Ina has her days off. I feel lucky that my mum is so well though sometimes she might be grumpy and forgetful.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At Christmas the weather was mild though wintry. Some days I didn’t need a coat so when I went around Rome on public transport, underground and buses, it was not too bad. However, there are no timetables available, so you never know how long you are going to have to wait. Eventually you have to take it easy, slow down, give up fixed plans as there is no way to change the situation. It is relaxing in a way.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmd6HFfsJsJuOjMmfxTjFFkYHSSn_at0W0rzfx_U3J6GeelaSAlJWMxW1Inba2zNQe38lIyBTVjynTuzl25HR8sgXhFU1b97Y_wRNNiv8AiEjHW9KOUgU5C-5_QHls0y3onmXS0h-pDXroAtzpaMgDGtbnwAxFUsQOm6F5r_hE3SXPAbX6gFqJAGj/s1600/IMG-20221227-WA0000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmd6HFfsJsJuOjMmfxTjFFkYHSSn_at0W0rzfx_U3J6GeelaSAlJWMxW1Inba2zNQe38lIyBTVjynTuzl25HR8sgXhFU1b97Y_wRNNiv8AiEjHW9KOUgU5C-5_QHls0y3onmXS0h-pDXroAtzpaMgDGtbnwAxFUsQOm6F5r_hE3SXPAbX6gFqJAGj/s320/IMG-20221227-WA0000.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As soon as I arrived in Rome, my mum and I were busy phoning relatives and friends for Christmas wishes and to arrange meetings. The days were packed with happy gatherings with relatives and relaxed conversations with friends and neighbours. I had prepared little presents for them in advance with my crochet things and English chocolate and sweets I usually buy at Gatwick airport where there is a Harrods’ shop.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrEPvllOhqHD5Hq8upwnerJWWKY6iYRU0qU0KijoN1FcN-bbb8lcjDs2bzBT-oDqBJFm4_PNElF875S1QtSWtaj80p4xzRj5aDFD_sSLednZTzH3fl5ERbi5sFxuaqLvyACB4if__aytEeKG4sedv6VE0oBbUHm9jI5tDNRlW6yFMNOb3jgXxnaxn/s1000/IMG_20221226_162510.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrEPvllOhqHD5Hq8upwnerJWWKY6iYRU0qU0KijoN1FcN-bbb8lcjDs2bzBT-oDqBJFm4_PNElF875S1QtSWtaj80p4xzRj5aDFD_sSLednZTzH3fl5ERbi5sFxuaqLvyACB4if__aytEeKG4sedv6VE0oBbUHm9jI5tDNRlW6yFMNOb3jgXxnaxn/w200-h150/IMG_20221226_162510.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My mum has her routines which are limited now to a few outings in the area where she lives, some shopping nearby and visiting neighbours, who are about her age or older. We managed to visit a museum, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea at Viale delle Belle Arti (<a href="https://lagallerianazionale.com/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://lagallerianazionale.com/</span></a> ) where we met a friend of mine too. When we arrived my mum was so tired that she waited for me sitting on a sofa in the hall at the entrance of the museum while I visited the different exhibitions on display. Afterwards, she told me that she had a long chat with the lady at the bar, a young woman who was happy to listen to her old stories about the time of the war and her large family.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqe5pP-CiQVd5wyQnS177zBwREwmPKOYhTymuvK7sDqZJv7EX0p0LePjYzade9HefKkGdKoZKKiC81KoC95CvbYES76YXlj2MxBVCgsm12q0qfSZLt_grJaxWUZNdGOHQdyGPs19cAXN58Wu5SusGUTwTInzwPINId3Ujlc1HQxYPOFSAaExrmqUt/s1000/IMG_20221224_133358.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqe5pP-CiQVd5wyQnS177zBwREwmPKOYhTymuvK7sDqZJv7EX0p0LePjYzade9HefKkGdKoZKKiC81KoC95CvbYES76YXlj2MxBVCgsm12q0qfSZLt_grJaxWUZNdGOHQdyGPs19cAXN58Wu5SusGUTwTInzwPINId3Ujlc1HQxYPOFSAaExrmqUt/w150-h200/IMG_20221224_133358.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea is an important museum that I visited for the first time in my middle school years during a school trip. The art teacher introduced us to Giuseppe Capogrossi’s patterns and Alberto Burri’s innovating work, which I have never forgotten. There are several important artworks on display, such as pieces by Giulio Turcato, Lucio Fontana, Jean Dubuffet, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Henry Moore, Van Gogh, Medardo Rosso, Giorgio Morandi, Umberto Boccioni and many others. It is a huge display that gives the viewer a clear and comprehensive idea of Italian modern art as well as contemporary Italian and international art. The Gallery also featured some impressive and thought-provoking exhibitions such as ‘Hot Spot: Caring for a Burning World’ about global warming, ‘Quanto Bentivoglio’, about Mirella Bentivoglio a poet and performance artist who produced astonishing pieces, ‘You are mine’ by Daniela Comani on the issue of feminicide, and a room dedicated to one of my favourite Italian painters, Renato Guttuso. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOayqGuSdkt3KsDhddNhDjWO6lrMeyGagi-QbB4o32bCDekfqfvYHQou8B_GCINNj6UynLi7kgPZek9P-NEnKzeNwtSTBG3wzV1oFPxPPDe2tX0zenbJw1HBlGC5gctfAnecEH1i7QYCshYiV3v4qAwYSyqf6EI6O-9DjkMLB3KWjrwSxIp_tI4sE/s502/IMG_20221224_121056%20bis.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="502" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOayqGuSdkt3KsDhddNhDjWO6lrMeyGagi-QbB4o32bCDekfqfvYHQou8B_GCINNj6UynLi7kgPZek9P-NEnKzeNwtSTBG3wzV1oFPxPPDe2tX0zenbJw1HBlGC5gctfAnecEH1i7QYCshYiV3v4qAwYSyqf6EI6O-9DjkMLB3KWjrwSxIp_tI4sE/w200-h142/IMG_20221224_121056%20bis.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1mft2seby0GH5s6GJDHdio-ii8I3EFOMfAqeFhl5pikdcowJq73yfGLYM6_SUpsUw3MHToiB0hV9YlanzTeTNYA71uL33K3cE-XicPIF9n_6-nik4Rad8bADjjYuU277_r3o2VhVLH6hPytHEKrqtRjsHKnpUyPo6V3w6i6DzG8iWy-x5KLwWzVp/s938/Self-portrait%20with%20flower%20in%20mouth,%201947.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="743" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1mft2seby0GH5s6GJDHdio-ii8I3EFOMfAqeFhl5pikdcowJq73yfGLYM6_SUpsUw3MHToiB0hV9YlanzTeTNYA71uL33K3cE-XicPIF9n_6-nik4Rad8bADjjYuU277_r3o2VhVLH6hPytHEKrqtRjsHKnpUyPo6V3w6i6DzG8iWy-x5KLwWzVp/w158-h200/Self-portrait%20with%20flower%20in%20mouth,%201947.jpg" width="158" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I also visited the exhibition ‘Pasolini Pittore’ (Pasolini painter) at Galleria D’Arte Moderna in via Francesco Crispi, here is the link to my review on London Grip: <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2023/01/pasolini-painter-review-by-carla-scarano/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2023/01/pasolini-painter-review-by-carla-scarano/<br /></span></a></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Not far from my mum’s place, in Piazza Sempione, I discovered a beautiful private art gallery, Atelier (<a href="https://www.stefaniapinci.it/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.stefaniapinci.it/</span></a> <a href="mailto:artesempione@gmail.com"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">artesempione@gmail.com</span></a> ), in which one of my mum’s neighbours was exhibiting her ceramics. The artworks on display were very interesting, colourful, diverse and personal. The ‘mosaici pittorici’ by Stefania Pinci, that is, paintings that look like mosaics, are riveting and so radiant; they are a true expression of Mediterranean art. It was an inspiring visit that helped me develop new ideas for my future work.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3D40_PmgxRjd6PTiYUk0WnLff1a6t_tmgFKe9EiHxFGeTTdnUFZ_4mKTbQEbC5KwOLKwCdUc6cvYVazReIWsDaYBkZBEfiWkg2XRbsFB3_1S_hpRuOTXSeTG2SLwOrdpgMKqxyArXDO4VcYpNEnWDhDACQX0Sxycjpo2gmJCXkyRS0O7Zy05Ff9I1/s1000/IMG_20221228_111312.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3D40_PmgxRjd6PTiYUk0WnLff1a6t_tmgFKe9EiHxFGeTTdnUFZ_4mKTbQEbC5KwOLKwCdUc6cvYVazReIWsDaYBkZBEfiWkg2XRbsFB3_1S_hpRuOTXSeTG2SLwOrdpgMKqxyArXDO4VcYpNEnWDhDACQX0Sxycjpo2gmJCXkyRS0O7Zy05Ff9I1/w150-h200/IMG_20221228_111312.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I received good presents for Christmas, mainly books by Joy Hario and Patti Smith and two pretty scarves I added to my collection. And here are two new poems about Italian Christmas food and an attempt to new year’s resolutions:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Italian Christmas dinner</span></b></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When we gather around the table dressed in red and gold</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">we give up to the beauty of the half-moon ravioli<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">kissed by tomato sauce and parmigiano</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">relaxing on the plate like our tensions and grudges.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The menu repeats year after year<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and makes us think that everything is going well</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">despite occasional misunderstandings</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and past harsh rows.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The tender rabbit meat is soaked in velvet sauce<span class="s2" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">,</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">string beans and fresh salad from the vegetable garden<span class="s2" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">,</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">grissini and thin sliced homemade bread on graceful display.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We end with panettone and golden pandoro</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">as precious as gifts<span class="s2" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">,</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">prosecco in high chalices<span class="s2" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">,</span> bubbles of hard-earned harmony<span class="s2" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">.</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When we toast my heart is soaring.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">New year’s resolutions</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6WeFo4j8CsSUTTBM-_moocIOw6tKxWcSvjeLZKU_KyoGoUku-C9nxQQIEHE5k4q3KpxUG4DkcdiDlF9zXgGx8I-rU-GhNKc8BnxvZC-66ge0YWqAPFz-10NRwEfBFRHVSdGY3Z2mb58Sk3t8zC6a8YCPvBDNSfpJRqaFmIJVo2KLt_UicT6nXl3s/s1927/prosecco%202023.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="1927" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6WeFo4j8CsSUTTBM-_moocIOw6tKxWcSvjeLZKU_KyoGoUku-C9nxQQIEHE5k4q3KpxUG4DkcdiDlF9zXgGx8I-rU-GhNKc8BnxvZC-66ge0YWqAPFz-10NRwEfBFRHVSdGY3Z2mb58Sk3t8zC6a8YCPvBDNSfpJRqaFmIJVo2KLt_UicT6nXl3s/s320/prosecco%202023.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No schedules to stick to</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No therapies to start</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No diets or new look</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No clearing out</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No saying ‘I don’t care’ or</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">‘you are not supposed to be’</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I will procrastinate my duties</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Take it easy</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Live loosely</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Indulge time with others</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Be open to tomorrow</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Give up to life</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">When we came back to England, we went straight north to see my sons and their families and celebrate New Year’s Eve with them. It was a marvellous time. My granddaughter Violetta is learning more and more words both in English and in Italian. She is so cute when she speaks mixing the two languages. She also made a drawing of sorts with felt pens which looks wondrous. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmykxk0TUEx8u0_7TjE6y6Xs6wc1I4hF17dt6HvrnMMfYN1ruiDSBHwM_EnLiKDq-NByjUhsFMPgaLxjWsg4wCTe3a9hc6gtIH4aXZx5qgY2Vj0-Aso7tXGaD9NSCH_pWdtxPsTy0q4lKTE_fTnOtBECbdNYtI27Ks9zsxe-0_9Pc7ZVuWXUwnYut/s943/disegno%20violetta%20dec%202022.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="618" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmykxk0TUEx8u0_7TjE6y6Xs6wc1I4hF17dt6HvrnMMfYN1ruiDSBHwM_EnLiKDq-NByjUhsFMPgaLxjWsg4wCTe3a9hc6gtIH4aXZx5qgY2Vj0-Aso7tXGaD9NSCH_pWdtxPsTy0q4lKTE_fTnOtBECbdNYtI27Ks9zsxe-0_9Pc7ZVuWXUwnYut/s320/disegno%20violetta%20dec%202022.jpg" width="210" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br />I had some deadlines too. I prepared the Stanza meeting on zoom, completed some commissioned reviews and commissioned paintings and sent my first entry as Resident Artist for The High Window’s Spring issue 2023. My work will be focused on textiles, that is, textile patterns, crochet installations, patchwork and embroidery. I am also working on textile patterns in a broader perspective connecting forms from all over the world and developing ideas. I am preparing a new crochet installation inspired by winter, my love for nature and the approaching St Valentine celebration. To add more fun to my everyday busy life, I am also selecting poems for a poetry competition and will have the zoom launch of my latest collection <i>Workwear</i> on the 10<sup>th</sup> of February at 7.30 pm. I invited all my friends from the Stanza, the yoga group, Woking Writers Circle and FB friends too. There will be people from Italy, the UK, US, Canada and Australia with twenty readers and my friends and fellow poets Greg Freeman and Rodney Wood will introduce me. Maybe my granddaughter Violetta, to whom the collection is dedicated, will make a brief apparition at the beginning of the meeting though it is bedtime for her. I will also read my poems from <i>Workwear</i> at The Lightbox in Woking for the Write Out Loud open mic on the 23<sup>rd</sup> of February at 8 pm.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> More information about my publications is on my website: </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/ </a></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was flabbergasted by the T.S Eliot shortlist and the readings at the Southbank centre that I followed online. The winner, Anthony Joseph, is a great poet but my favourite was Yomi Ṣode. His poetry is a punch to the stomach, so true and well-crafted that I felt mesmerised by his voice. Here are some links to his work:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzgfbvUKqtob2q2f5eX8N3n2NzcQKh3QmtTXuPKzYdy7L-MvcSdLW4qAPWy3sBB7_thmIYROCy_LnjaSs8j4WVcBoJjYGhcFMeHM55QwOGzl1ThLe5eL2UYpl3R3QmIX8PMQTJKdXkP4cp3kuu5OoVyRF__vweQIxL6S5a8uQiy4MFnlaolG7ltzt/s796/Yomi%20Sode.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="527" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzgfbvUKqtob2q2f5eX8N3n2NzcQKh3QmtTXuPKzYdy7L-MvcSdLW4qAPWy3sBB7_thmIYROCy_LnjaSs8j4WVcBoJjYGhcFMeHM55QwOGzl1ThLe5eL2UYpl3R3QmIX8PMQTJKdXkP4cp3kuu5OoVyRF__vweQIxL6S5a8uQiy4MFnlaolG7ltzt/w133-h200/Yomi%20Sode.jpg" width="133" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://yomisode.com/">https://yomisode.com/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7mAf_TwHdw"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7mAf_TwHdw</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWvI-PHjMt8"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWvI-PHjMt8</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLKPh0Qqs3w"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLKPh0Qqs3w</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D45H_0ifBUU"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D45H_0ifBUU</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The death of Charles Simic was sad. I remember I read one of his collections of prose poems years ago while I was attending the Master in Creative Writing at the University of Lancaster. His clever pieces are impressive and surprising but never shocking. Here are some links to his work:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNBQsHBHzePOvDa4UiGAJomGzjVREw0BXtFCOWGwuys-8elyrUfh3VKcNN7YkU9oFtMzbebh2Gr0Us7F1xIKElan8eJ3kNCThTl04qQfbt7xRR7O8nASPezViH0S02TUdZ-v8JfrEOvXUfLIZ8JVg41tEU4Scs87iasOhB-ScTUgnVpTB275utwnG/s290/simic.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="290" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNBQsHBHzePOvDa4UiGAJomGzjVREw0BXtFCOWGwuys-8elyrUfh3VKcNN7YkU9oFtMzbebh2Gr0Us7F1xIKElan8eJ3kNCThTl04qQfbt7xRR7O8nASPezViH0S02TUdZ-v8JfrEOvXUfLIZ8JVg41tEU4Scs87iasOhB-ScTUgnVpTB275utwnG/w200-h120/simic.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/aizenman-simic%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/aizenman-simic</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/charles-simic%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank">https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/charles-simic</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFp39lk3J7Y%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFp39lk3J7Y</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjE1nDxJ0ys%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjE1nDxJ0ys</span></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zKahTbzUwc%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zKahTbzUwc</span></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsdCU6D3J3c%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsdCU6D3J3c</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XODm-0K9TK4%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XODm-0K9TK4</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Apparently, things are getting better both in Italy and in the UK. The economic crisis is easing a bit, there are hopes of recovery and decrease of inflation. Energy prices seem to have dropped as well compared to predictions and even house prices are falling. Italy is buying gas from Algeria at reasonable prices which is helpful for the economy. Reading the papers, it seems that both Sunak and Starmer are doing their best but are not impressing voters. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WjOQFIDG5t74EL59TgaDG6Enx7t9zP9nW_XD6_HJt6Z5EyX0J0YCWDwfHmNuVxHUW3Y3f48Ohm3XIDBi71jHy8u-ZfD-wHFZtdOVSj2-NtTZ_TkYJ67ClL-WR06ksgU8c-mhAYAHn53SfFnwMZmZg2ehS0JWgYw8DLPqXRJqx5FYysf6IoIa0GJ6/s1240/starmer%20&sunak.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1240" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WjOQFIDG5t74EL59TgaDG6Enx7t9zP9nW_XD6_HJt6Z5EyX0J0YCWDwfHmNuVxHUW3Y3f48Ohm3XIDBi71jHy8u-ZfD-wHFZtdOVSj2-NtTZ_TkYJ67ClL-WR06ksgU8c-mhAYAHn53SfFnwMZmZg2ehS0JWgYw8DLPqXRJqx5FYysf6IoIa0GJ6/s320/starmer%20&sunak.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Things are carrying on with grey cold day after grey cold day this winter, in an apparent stagnation which was a bit shaken by Prince Harry’s <i>Spare</i> that haunted the media for a few days. In Italy instead the new PM Giorgia Meloni looks busy. The left blames her for giving money to the rich taking from the poor. Furthermore, some dangerous criminals have been arrested by the police, the prolific rapist David Carrick, who unbelievably was a policeman, and the dangerous and tragically notorious Mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro. Messina Denaro was caught in his territory, Castelvetrano, in Sicily. The carabinieri found his name on the database of cancer patients as he was receiving treatment for colon cancer. The police had been looking for him for thirty years. He is accused of several killings and criminal acts against ordinary as well as prominent people. In his house they found a poster of Joker and Marlon Brando’s picture in the role of the Godfather, and books about Hitler and Putin. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxYcbsYeoKfpLx92Yqdl8wHvOmd_DR3cWZDfigxwVqVDa9D_qOgrr2Z_lLRnF1zDWzlE1h3TEnpA7oEuZgEsUuLRywdY0g2PL1fgrroiyS_0zgZoP4ZEcz1KzABmL4Po4nuF9rJrFc5Cwe80giMIvPwNcLQ-SVwGwTb87Z5ueSxFthDZwcdpzu1It/s457/poster%20jocker.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="457" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxYcbsYeoKfpLx92Yqdl8wHvOmd_DR3cWZDfigxwVqVDa9D_qOgrr2Z_lLRnF1zDWzlE1h3TEnpA7oEuZgEsUuLRywdY0g2PL1fgrroiyS_0zgZoP4ZEcz1KzABmL4Po4nuF9rJrFc5Cwe80giMIvPwNcLQ-SVwGwTb87Z5ueSxFthDZwcdpzu1It/w200-h122/poster%20jocker.PNG" width="200" /></a></div><br />He will spend the rest of his life in a high security prison. It has been now 12 months since Russia invaded the Ukraine. Italy will send more weapons. Germany eventually decided to send the Leopard tanks and the US will send tanks too. The war is not over and it will probably last for a while longer, but we all hope that these powerful armaments will give some advantage to Kiev.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, here are links to images and articles about the fabulous Couture week 2023:</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKKk_ef5rrncUDgKnd9kIRP76pKJjARq57lr4NOJoFIbNvpNYOnXZSJRK53O4thXnQr4gC8wup7KIKVZZH-__TZo_PSm_5zBnFo5gxkP_XYNsWHLLLH0OLXhT7A3HKiHbAytN4jx3oROBl8tnpwtSEKJMSGl7T3E7fwlylQjbj4gn0YVigKhBEgYl/s1500/Armani.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKKk_ef5rrncUDgKnd9kIRP76pKJjARq57lr4NOJoFIbNvpNYOnXZSJRK53O4thXnQr4gC8wup7KIKVZZH-__TZo_PSm_5zBnFo5gxkP_XYNsWHLLLH0OLXhT7A3HKiHbAytN4jx3oROBl8tnpwtSEKJMSGl7T3E7fwlylQjbj4gn0YVigKhBEgYl/s320/Armani.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armani Privé</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="%22">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/haute-couture-week-2023-key-trends-paris-rome-czmxdc57t</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="%22"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.elle.com/fashion/trend-reports/g41768863/best-fashion-campaigns-resort-2023/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="%22"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://pagesix.com/2023/01/24/all-the-celebrities-at-paris-haute-couture-fashion-week-2023/#7</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here is the final treat, a cake with dark chocolate and orange zest filled with cream. It was so successful that I think I will repeat it for the upcoming birthdays in February.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the cake you need: 250 of self-raising flour, two eggs, 150 g of golden caster sugar, 100 g of melted butter, the grated zest and juice of an orange, 100 g of dark chocolate, half a tsp of cinnamon, one tsp of baking powder, half a tsp of bicarbonate of soda and some liquor.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: 50 g of icing sugar, 300 ml of whipping cream, some dark chocolate to shave and some grated zest of orange.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmrO4C1oie4I21YfTBIwDIsGcuNlPwSFAfA1ekU1mPCoVzdRevCU4aYDMC4HeYxTSpsSZXA93LumRjyc9qjyfi6chjzwbc8hiYvcF8tTbcxUNd20QAJM5DmntxP32TyTIWK9lRz4-N491D8RQJMGIOhRvkVvgscVwT8-6ZdNUKr_ArsVd_Y68xgyi/s842/dark%20choc%20cake%20with%20cream%20and%20orange%20zest.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="842" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmrO4C1oie4I21YfTBIwDIsGcuNlPwSFAfA1ekU1mPCoVzdRevCU4aYDMC4HeYxTSpsSZXA93LumRjyc9qjyfi6chjzwbc8hiYvcF8tTbcxUNd20QAJM5DmntxP32TyTIWK9lRz4-N491D8RQJMGIOhRvkVvgscVwT8-6ZdNUKr_ArsVd_Y68xgyi/s320/dark%20choc%20cake%20with%20cream%20and%20orange%20zest.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the cake beating the eggs and the sugar. Microwave the butter with the chocolate until melted and add it to the mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients and when the mixture is soft and moist pour it in a greased spring cake tin and bake at 180 C for 30-45 minutes or until ready.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When the cake is cool prepare the filling by whipping the cream with the icing sugar. Cut the cake in half and wet both sides with milk and water. Spread half of the cream on the bottom half then shave some dark chocolate on it as well as some grated orange zest. Put the other half on top of it and decorate with the rest of the cream, maybe using a piping bag. Finally shave more dark chocolate and some orange zest on top and enjoy!</span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-86038987844173140282023-01-08T01:51:00.003-08:002023-01-08T01:53:28.688-08:00My busy wonderful holiday<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxEs7uxA8Y5t2r6XiMHZTM_NIgY-NKRKFhb3DLThN6SZzAnt0L6hvDeKuKdG8piFyHdgeG8DhBDM7fz38obfVjWouNKw8v5cqScbQbalSHkuPWCPEg5il_n0_r0OBQ7dpBJJ6BhsN7d0Kw_DxDWlgVO2Df8zgkgMT28R8uPSDjsufza5GaXHXU_8h/s1600/IMG-20221231-WA0005.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxEs7uxA8Y5t2r6XiMHZTM_NIgY-NKRKFhb3DLThN6SZzAnt0L6hvDeKuKdG8piFyHdgeG8DhBDM7fz38obfVjWouNKw8v5cqScbQbalSHkuPWCPEg5il_n0_r0OBQ7dpBJJ6BhsN7d0Kw_DxDWlgVO2Df8zgkgMT28R8uPSDjsufza5GaXHXU_8h/s320/IMG-20221231-WA0005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The new year opened with good and bad news. I had a good time in Italy visiting my mother, relatives and friends during the Christmas holidays and I was overjoyed to see my daughter Valentina and my granddaughter Violetta when I came back. The affection that surrounded me during gatherings and meetings, the ‘good tidings’ and renewed friendships I experienced both in England and in Italy were special.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Before flying to Rome, I had a busy week at school exchanging cards and presents with students and colleagues, Christmas lunch, house </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Panto, carol service, secret Santa, the talent show and the social at the Sovereigns in Woking. We had a lot of fun dressing up with Christmas jumpers, fancy earrings and light up necklaces and funny hats. The best part was the talent show with dances, songs, choirs and jokes. A lot of prizes were distributed bringing confidence and joy to students and staff.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcusIHEA_ybTSJyK4mL4L9LoGw57PNgku5wXGkI3AivzFMrFR_F0Cg8KWOA13DnEgzl17Ib6Tt8QoiOtNVfjBkPS-4mra9XSussbM5iTky1CKZQ1seVStFZpbAZEu2NYLMjCmdxnvglGwVOl1slL1PyD940ZwXWcgw-1Pzw_fFX26AVHuwyjwgDARL/s500/IMG-20221217-WA0005.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcusIHEA_ybTSJyK4mL4L9LoGw57PNgku5wXGkI3AivzFMrFR_F0Cg8KWOA13DnEgzl17Ib6Tt8QoiOtNVfjBkPS-4mra9XSussbM5iTky1CKZQ1seVStFZpbAZEu2NYLMjCmdxnvglGwVOl1slL1PyD940ZwXWcgw-1Pzw_fFX26AVHuwyjwgDARL/s320/IMG-20221217-WA0005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Before leaving, I also managed to visit some elderly friends that live in Woking and in Guildford. They carry on well considering they are in their 80s and 90s. We updated each other about our health and exchanged cards and little presents. The weather was pretty challenging before Christmas. Frost covered my car every morning for a fortnight. I wore two layers plus a heavy coat, woollen hat, scarf and gloves. However, I managed to complete my Christmas shopping, attend all the social events, send cards, and spend a day in London too. I visited the exhibition on Lucian Freud at The Lightbox in Woking and attended the Panto at the London Palladium. ‘Lucian Freud and the World as a Sphere’ at the Lightbox is a juxtaposition or comparison of sorts of some important contemporary artists and the work of Lucian Freud to mark the centenary of his birth. The curator, Somaya Critchlow, also presents her grandfather’s artwork, who was professor of architecture, writer and geometer, Dr Keith Critchlow. Here is the link to my review:</span></div><p></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2023/01/07/lucian-freud-and-the-soul-as-sphere/">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2023/01/07/lucian-freud-and-the-soul-as-sphere/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In London I visited ‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’ at the V&A, ‘Lucian Freud: New Perspectives’ at the National Gallery and an intriguing one-room exhibition at <b>The School of Historical Dress:</b> ‘Our Collection by Colour No. 1 White’. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTk5AUYiZEdxv2c50iUjBZil_1brvX5UPzwi51ou_MCmBzWuU5atfrb3S-5KKQ78As57irNEYDITkSlBrD1jEum_RBrctKqrk1N6BqdzdNGrKAPXtoeVRd0gXlMgs3NmeyylOVFxOZRleUWAAEyvo46Gl2f-JqLhToLpGS9vFvpOumBAoYCnhvEZIm/s1000/New%20fashion%20from%20old,%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTk5AUYiZEdxv2c50iUjBZil_1brvX5UPzwi51ou_MCmBzWuU5atfrb3S-5KKQ78As57irNEYDITkSlBrD1jEum_RBrctKqrk1N6BqdzdNGrKAPXtoeVRd0gXlMgs3NmeyylOVFxOZRleUWAAEyvo46Gl2f-JqLhToLpGS9vFvpOumBAoYCnhvEZIm/w200-h150/New%20fashion%20from%20old,%201.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />I also had a glimpse at ‘The Fabulous World of Dior’ at Harrods but could not visit the whole exhibition as the queue was too long and I had to attend the Panto that same day. Here are the links to the reviews I wrote for some of the exhibitions:<p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;">Lucian Freud: New Perspectives <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2023/01/lucian-freud-new-perspectives-review-by-carla-scarano/"><span class="s1">https://londongrip.co.uk/2023/01/lucian-freud-new-perspectives-review-by-carla-scarano/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;">White <a href="%22"><span class="s1">https://londongrip.co.uk/2023/01/white-review-by-carla-scarano/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVR3VCHAi4DikcaK9uf1pI1S9Md0g2mzIoucRr8RoaQZimCvaEByQ6zpPwsrxsBh-_rZjMaROXFwct4kOGJiCU_Hc6J5IhcAu37jSRPXCMqRCSsBAZJtsP32PnX809gH92lTlUkMan_sNi4g2p8pb1tbPV32UHtRixh7UsNNRIyHeyp8zvnb9nZgk/s1000/Reflection%20with%20two%20children%20(Self-portrait),%201965.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVR3VCHAi4DikcaK9uf1pI1S9Md0g2mzIoucRr8RoaQZimCvaEByQ6zpPwsrxsBh-_rZjMaROXFwct4kOGJiCU_Hc6J5IhcAu37jSRPXCMqRCSsBAZJtsP32PnX809gH92lTlUkMan_sNi4g2p8pb1tbPV32UHtRixh7UsNNRIyHeyp8zvnb9nZgk/w200-h150/Reflection%20with%20two%20children%20(Self-portrait),%201965.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I especially enjoyed Lucian Freud’s work, so important, skilled, absolutely overwhelming. The more than sixty works on display gave a comprehensive and insightful view of his development and career. I especially liked the nudes and some of the portraits and self-portraits. They reveal so many layers of meaning and texture that the compositions can be compared to the works of the old masters that Freud studied at the National Gallery. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzr0QEL7u6bAF1QOOuiT3SVtXKan4ZxvgjPBN5SyUw30hHRQe9ruF0BZAXxaeZLj3UNQke8lnEtgNneAPtAReMZstMrjHjzMX6vstBBKKhQ2bdS_y5WH63QvPp5de-Eu3cRiKXhV9glCPbb2XijMAtnpSFmwcLZoNCW3wR4w74BXZ-jChq4Hx3VTc/s816/IMG_20221218_144341.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="612" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzr0QEL7u6bAF1QOOuiT3SVtXKan4ZxvgjPBN5SyUw30hHRQe9ruF0BZAXxaeZLj3UNQke8lnEtgNneAPtAReMZstMrjHjzMX6vstBBKKhQ2bdS_y5WH63QvPp5de-Eu3cRiKXhV9glCPbb2XijMAtnpSFmwcLZoNCW3wR4w74BXZ-jChq4Hx3VTc/w150-h200/IMG_20221218_144341.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Korean Wave was interesting too, though some parts about films, cosmetics, cars, software, songs, etc. looked like an advertising of sorts rather than a show. The Korean popular culture mixes traditional values linked to the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) and Confucianism with today’s way of living that includes consumerism, easy-going and self-indulgent lifestyle and is focused on entertainment and pleasure. The iconic song ‘Gangnam Style’ (2012) is an example of this approach; its rhythm and video are captivating and it was popular world-wide. I loved the section about fashion so colourful, with bold patterns and original designs; the clothes have references to the Korean traditional costume, the handbook, which features a long wide skirt and high waistline. There are loose links with the past both in stories, songs, pictures, K-Drama and the outfits on display. The Moon Jar was the best piece of the exhibition with its perfect shape that recalls the Confucian values of modesty, purity and honesty. It contrasts with the themes of social inequality and corruption that are present in some of the films, such as <i>Parasite</i>, that won the Palme D’Or at Cannes Film Festival in 2019. My favourite bit was the K-Pop Dance challenge in which you learned the moves of a dance following instructions and then had the chance to record your dance. Finally, your moves would become part of a collective dance. I had a go, of course, and enjoyed it tremendously.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy1_xco_JHhvM1llv7ZcVzgARuyC-370d8FMP7T6reLuMkvY3cNZtubB8qh-BS1YlKeWrwgaRyv--kFCmCdLw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCSFIJJFTxz9YqHKTq3d8LfEvOzO2v0wFhEDvJPdHGPI_1z0qt7g9PSMyu6sMg-oixwYu78E2NFo3eBBERSZzoft4MJ1kB_05XZQFSzLZrMXLbE7gz01T1Zym4JA1DRmkfsZdj_8Uu94Dslf7f6CCmbUpKrj75JwTKRo-63_325Klu_N9sXiW5wtO/s256/pele.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="197" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCSFIJJFTxz9YqHKTq3d8LfEvOzO2v0wFhEDvJPdHGPI_1z0qt7g9PSMyu6sMg-oixwYu78E2NFo3eBBERSZzoft4MJ1kB_05XZQFSzLZrMXLbE7gz01T1Zym4JA1DRmkfsZdj_8Uu94Dslf7f6CCmbUpKrj75JwTKRo-63_325Klu_N9sXiW5wtO/w154-h200/pele.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>The new year opened with news of deaths. Vivienne Westwood, Pelé and pope Benedict XVI; it was an endless mourning. And Covid is coming back from China, nine thousand deaths per day apparently, and with the sub-variant Kraken in the US. Honestly, the beginning of 2023 didn’t look good though I could see signs of hope in the King’s Christmas speech and in the appeal to the Italian people of the president Sergio Mattarella on New Year’s Eve. He pointed out how the Italian democracy is working well despite the crisis that is affecting not only Italy but most of the European countries, how Italy recovered after the pandemic and invited people to look at the future with optimism. He invoked peace, justice and freedom in a community spirit. I found his words uplifting.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3k8xqsvG2rc_Xou-uNVeHZfIXFL58jgNcfKZLgwCWTgiwUEbgndoA_d46ltSJQPjfjrG5a3q8zFokT7yjXtBXbGFOlvYSRRuz2kxVy6Gy2MJnkpG_7z2tAQruskWBcm4X3R7Yt4Q0PR6LbPQLaLNZA8d-ea-0E8DFn8ocR5rSL67oiwCHNJrLZVY/s960/Westwood.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="960" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3k8xqsvG2rc_Xou-uNVeHZfIXFL58jgNcfKZLgwCWTgiwUEbgndoA_d46ltSJQPjfjrG5a3q8zFokT7yjXtBXbGFOlvYSRRuz2kxVy6Gy2MJnkpG_7z2tAQruskWBcm4X3R7Yt4Q0PR6LbPQLaLNZA8d-ea-0E8DFn8ocR5rSL67oiwCHNJrLZVY/w200-h126/Westwood.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And here is a poem I wrote about the King’s speech:<br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>King’s Speech</b></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christmas 2022</p><p class="p6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Love […] is a form of knowing</p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Shearon Olds, <i>Komodo</i></p><p class="p7" style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In this time of great anxiety and hardship</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">a light shines from a cradle</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBKk3ZocjNUZfkr_gvR9aqrRKyUHrijRU5qO5xc9PyYUQuq9SW0TJlL6pQ9iGiOW7Vn1O9n4EMw6_G1NId_t3OJkOCIvanxirdqT7rzIGsGQdPKKAh0vxc9gcmCodvrLPA-HJ6T0K7GbWCIiCioe__YJCI_34ygrG9FVtdL4qZG8HJd_DTIU19dJ2/s960/Charles%20iii%20xmas%202022.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBKk3ZocjNUZfkr_gvR9aqrRKyUHrijRU5qO5xc9PyYUQuq9SW0TJlL6pQ9iGiOW7Vn1O9n4EMw6_G1NId_t3OJkOCIvanxirdqT7rzIGsGQdPKKAh0vxc9gcmCodvrLPA-HJ6T0K7GbWCIiCioe__YJCI_34ygrG9FVtdL4qZG8HJd_DTIU19dJ2/w320-h200/Charles%20iii%20xmas%202022.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">in a little town a poor crib.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We all gather in hope,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">though the mighty are failing us<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">and the wealthy have been sent empty away.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We look at the powerless –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">poverty contains salvation too –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">hoping that goodness and compassion happen</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">in the magical, stressful Christmas time;</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">the sharing of thoughts</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">solidarity with the poor for a night</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">shining light</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">bright, bright, bright.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I did some health checks in Italy and had an appointment with an endocrinologist specialised in adrenaline glands. From the tests I am not diabetic, my cholesterol and my heart are alright, my kidneys are alright though I have some stones. One of my adrenaline glands produces more cortisol than normal but it seems it is at a mild level and it is not clear which one it is as we have two. I will have more checks in Italy when I go back at Easter. I don’t think I need an operation to remove one of my adrenaline glands. Maybe they will prescribe some medication. My high blood pressure is a bit too high though I take tablets regularly. My potassium and calcium are a bit low but there is nothing to worry about. I had all the tests in a private laboratory. I paid 330 euros in total for twenty blood tests plus 24-hour urine test, ECG and kidney scan. I think I would have paid double or more in the UK. I feel confident and healthy on the whole and can manage to follow all my hobbies and passions as ever. I feel lucky.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsEM-hlIzIXg_4SBpBGyCQSGk2pFhKU7P4FsP3W_OM_SC6HoyBc_jvkBB0q2JVgsB1dOPuZkT8QbaeNCybYKUgOYBy9oWy2ofSEFdUpUZHknZIUOiNxf2CDsUQ1yHcrF_A25gU7Ce3zxynRkGrilv9ZxWvDhCLlW0tlIlZszTVeYla5RtMCUVpMSU/s1080/FB_IMG_1671399719884.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsEM-hlIzIXg_4SBpBGyCQSGk2pFhKU7P4FsP3W_OM_SC6HoyBc_jvkBB0q2JVgsB1dOPuZkT8QbaeNCybYKUgOYBy9oWy2ofSEFdUpUZHknZIUOiNxf2CDsUQ1yHcrF_A25gU7Ce3zxynRkGrilv9ZxWvDhCLlW0tlIlZszTVeYla5RtMCUVpMSU/w200-h200/FB_IMG_1671399719884.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, was a mesmerising show, full of light, unbelievable costumes and just before the interval a gigantic beanstalk popped up from the ground level. The plot was loose and there were plenty of puns on today’s political situation and on celebrities. I loved the exaggerated costumes, the glittering settings and the cheering, joyful atmosphere. It was my final treat.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And here is a special winter delicacy, <b>white brownies</b>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqK79vVvAcuTTJt9PGe3HMY8Isigo35bq4-7indie-IJxIrYQR-_ECgjj3FY8-uH9J-cm54Kg_CC3U9GXuWt1Cq_62sLFMaxvlREBsbFYAbeImDRtNFlGI0ixCJD_NJqHPSzxbuX1RQ8pJmORx_5X2N1z8YAM2NDgVUZguk8fdTRVDEH61Rtvlj0Y/s1000/white%20brownies.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqK79vVvAcuTTJt9PGe3HMY8Isigo35bq4-7indie-IJxIrYQR-_ECgjj3FY8-uH9J-cm54Kg_CC3U9GXuWt1Cq_62sLFMaxvlREBsbFYAbeImDRtNFlGI0ixCJD_NJqHPSzxbuX1RQ8pJmORx_5X2N1z8YAM2NDgVUZguk8fdTRVDEH61Rtvlj0Y/w150-h200/white%20brownies.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">You need: 200 g of self-raising flour, 200 g of sugar, 100 g of butter, vanilla essence, 50 g of dry cranberries, 200 g of white chocolate, 2 beaten eggs, a pinch of salt. Some parchment paper.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Warm the butter, chocolate, sugar and vanilla essence in a saucepan. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the chocolate mixture and the salt. Soak the cranberries in warm water for five minutes then squeeze them and add to the mixture too. Finally fold in the flour. Spread the brownies mixture on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 180 C. When cool, cut it in squares and serve with cream.😍😋</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-92027658229549257552022-12-18T23:09:00.001-08:002022-12-18T23:09:13.194-08:00Approaching Christmas<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxNuK5FtUcjSa1cMIAVdcQY_yJCo4JBnsKjRHF529a5KRWWoeIGTK0VOgHzYG2fOyhkDZ-VAwxckoRT2uP0mvOi7cTUe2ryMuH1pT6sdgxi6FXs_6qemD_jvndjupyoGo9ruYR3QOV5Bo_IsSP5_w0UQgymD1N2ASdzSFLg1eLVQOb0ilr9C1E7fa/s900/FkK1XaWXEAAFRRd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxNuK5FtUcjSa1cMIAVdcQY_yJCo4JBnsKjRHF529a5KRWWoeIGTK0VOgHzYG2fOyhkDZ-VAwxckoRT2uP0mvOi7cTUe2ryMuH1pT6sdgxi6FXs_6qemD_jvndjupyoGo9ruYR3QOV5Bo_IsSP5_w0UQgymD1N2ASdzSFLg1eLVQOb0ilr9C1E7fa/s320/FkK1XaWXEAAFRRd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And here is Christmas as busy as ever. My schedule is full: cards to send, presents to prepare, people to visit, social events to attend, things to pack for Italy where I will spend Christmas with my mum and my parents in law. Every year it seems crazy and exciting at the same time. I am looking forward to it but coping with all the deadlines is hard. Austerity looms on the horizon and Christmas seems to shrink in the context of the global crisis. I hope that the social and political situations will get better in the new year though inflation, the cuts on public spending and the cost of energy bills are expected to rise. The government doesn’t seem to give a positive solution as strikes hit and chaos approaches. Sometimes I feel the world is collapsing slowly and quietly. We grasp at some ephemeral certainties watching them failing and wondering if there is anything we can do to make a difference. Maybe we can in our small way. I care for my family, of course, and some dear friends. I try to save money in this crisis buying less of not-so-necessary stuff, saving on food more than what I used to do and saving on energy bills too, especially on heating. I wear extra layers at home and thick socks. Spending time with people has become a priority for me. I like to be present when I meet friends and family and focus on the time I am spending with them. There is so much to learn from others and ordinary events are important sources of inspiration for me.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iPRseg7ohF7cFQCpD7pRKoHUAxd9jdCW8e6NKU1ZKPd5Ct-Jc-QF-4Y-bgxDS1oN19HRbg93x9qgWkvr-oy-VDoCxAx31oQGBdmPbFcmsWzxnBG30A6Iu6YJXMCD51-4KqcKu6WOidXqRCUp4ZVdyIRq6V0_V67-94ZpQFR5ZF9Y6EUp79vTNDOl/s680/FkQU3BwWYAAWeOJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="680" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iPRseg7ohF7cFQCpD7pRKoHUAxd9jdCW8e6NKU1ZKPd5Ct-Jc-QF-4Y-bgxDS1oN19HRbg93x9qgWkvr-oy-VDoCxAx31oQGBdmPbFcmsWzxnBG30A6Iu6YJXMCD51-4KqcKu6WOidXqRCUp4ZVdyIRq6V0_V67-94ZpQFR5ZF9Y6EUp79vTNDOl/w200-h200/FkQU3BwWYAAWeOJ.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">On the news, not much is happening lately. Apart from the weather, which is getting colder as it is winter, and Harry and Meghan’s saga, newspapers struggle to deliver something really new and engaging. There are some protests but stagnation prevails. The only positive result I find is the fact that Donald Trump and his supporters did not win in the midterm American elections and the Republicans did not do as well as they expected. However, the after Biden is a question mark for the Democrats while the Republicans have a new candidate, Ron DeSantis that might beat Trump and run for the presidency in 2024.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPanY32ldwP8fXzk7yfZkUPXHhR3Qxigxn-psvouavSDzdKVsIBRltmdmqfb2lfBaNBKrzMfKoxtOZdgMQNpEawzI8YbrUhZitubZxjnxjMDotsD9NMva4xKaDbc5JejKPJWuCbi1fTF53pk3Ja1C-1T8TzI7DTi9T0pCQju1qH5mhYyAKYUnbRi-T/s639/FkK1Xb1WYAE1R65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="410" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPanY32ldwP8fXzk7yfZkUPXHhR3Qxigxn-psvouavSDzdKVsIBRltmdmqfb2lfBaNBKrzMfKoxtOZdgMQNpEawzI8YbrUhZitubZxjnxjMDotsD9NMva4xKaDbc5JejKPJWuCbi1fTF53pk3Ja1C-1T8TzI7DTi9T0pCQju1qH5mhYyAKYUnbRi-T/w128-h200/FkK1Xb1WYAE1R65.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>In Italy nothing special is happening either. Meloni’s coalition has issued the financial budget<span class="s1" style="color: red;"> </span>praising Italian creativity that might make the difference in the economic recovery. But the left does not agree and thinks that the government is penalising the poor. On the whole, it is an unremarkable kind of time, an economic lockdown of sorts that reflects the aftermath of Covid. The message of hope and peace connected to the birth of baby Jesus in the Christian tradition seems to be silenced or even contradicted this year by the Ukrainian conflict and the economic crisis. However, I am looking forward to Christmas all the same. I wish to see friends and family, spend free, leisure time with them, binging on food and chatting, and I have new art and writing projects for the new year.<br /><p></p><p class="p3" style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The World Cup has been a thrilling but also a disappointing experience. Italy did not qualify, then I supported Portugal and England and both teams did not reach the semi-finals. I didn’t like France and I thought it was unfair that it would win the World Cup for the second time in a row. I supported Argentina with the superb Messi. Somebody called him ‘source of hope and pride’, an inspiration. The whole team, and nation, relied on him as they did with Maradona. I was just worried that if he had got injured the team would have been lost. But finally, they made it! It was a spectacular victory; Argentina beat France on penalties after a 3-3 draw; Messi was the protagonist as ever.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB0GbblyQOJm2Tg-vbHjAdn041gfSO7a2Eh4rKpzy-tm_UrDPFQt-9U4NDn0fAFBk7uBfSKjql16b5L5InGekp4s_pR9qoUAx-uYLVjffGc6F9LzmHswWa6Zbi8KjKm4PfDLw9yNHkmW5aO4WiHw-BitLvC0D6hXG2DMl52N9gRoPNMCCTgDpTQT8/s2048/argentina-lionel-messi_6000530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB0GbblyQOJm2Tg-vbHjAdn041gfSO7a2Eh4rKpzy-tm_UrDPFQt-9U4NDn0fAFBk7uBfSKjql16b5L5InGekp4s_pR9qoUAx-uYLVjffGc6F9LzmHswWa6Zbi8KjKm4PfDLw9yNHkmW5aO4WiHw-BitLvC0D6hXG2DMl52N9gRoPNMCCTgDpTQT8/s320/argentina-lionel-messi_6000530.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcn1FanI9YQiui3WFVPbbQ-sjhTTet0Ygv2dkdtxZfjLeIFxyyTTCdbGsYbEVeFH4_zk12gsehur6mvcygKKm8LPCN8uWlm_VDfUCtUyOGLam5YT7S0l15PAqtWh1t1u_z0Q61rppibqOcC1Jf33qia9nGV7kFtL6dwxp7RZiqRNz5_aSUCqdmBoP2/s300/myra.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcn1FanI9YQiui3WFVPbbQ-sjhTTet0Ygv2dkdtxZfjLeIFxyyTTCdbGsYbEVeFH4_zk12gsehur6mvcygKKm8LPCN8uWlm_VDfUCtUyOGLam5YT7S0l15PAqtWh1t1u_z0Q61rppibqOcC1Jf33qia9nGV7kFtL6dwxp7RZiqRNz5_aSUCqdmBoP2/w200-h112/myra.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>I have read extensively, especially magazines I am subscribed to, such as Neon, Pennine Platform, Acumen, Ambit, ESC, Artemis Poetry, Poetry Review, British Journal of Canadian Studies, Tears in the Fence, Poetry Wales, Shearman, Dreich collections and Myra Schneider’s entire poetry work that I would like to review in an essay (See her website: <a href="%22"><span class="s2" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.myraschneider.co.uk/</span></a>). She is one of my favourite poets and has been a great tutor and a source of inspiration for my writings. I will also be the new stanza representative for the Woking stanza group taking over from Rodney Wood who stepped down last October. The meetings will be on zoom once a month, on the third Tuesday in the evening at 7.30, starting from the 17<sup>th</sup> of January. The meeting will start with an introductory writing prompt and will be followed by feedback and comments on the poems that the participants are happy to share in the group.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I am planning to apply for art competitions and exhibitions in the new year and I will take part in the Woking Art Society’s and Surrey Artists Open Studios’ events in spring and summer. I will also be the artist in Residence for <i>The High Window</i> next year, an exciting experience in which I will explore the intricacies of textiles in poetry and paintings with examples from all over the world. ‘Only Connect’ is the theme of the Summer Exhibition 2023 at the Royal Academy, a perfect inspiration for my project. In the meantime, I worked on commissioned paintings of my British Mania series and sketched some textile-inspired watercolours for a large, commissioned picture I am going to complete in January.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFN0xOt5_RdYCHViwnJvDoHKlHHUUEnN0Hjc_SHs8fCh0Omc4hvGUia0xQUeLFvoYZ1lqF2Vu9fs7E1f2WBVFmEhxfqRh3aLJ5YUA3hDDSWw1fi4uBYAW5X1K9b5iw9cCYwb5NZAbGvCYrDZJV5p45St9KNDt5eUd-spTd7kv7pFZg2SNQCD4dqPr-/s1000/IMG_20221125_182110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFN0xOt5_RdYCHViwnJvDoHKlHHUUEnN0Hjc_SHs8fCh0Omc4hvGUia0xQUeLFvoYZ1lqF2Vu9fs7E1f2WBVFmEhxfqRh3aLJ5YUA3hDDSWw1fi4uBYAW5X1K9b5iw9cCYwb5NZAbGvCYrDZJV5p45St9KNDt5eUd-spTd7kv7pFZg2SNQCD4dqPr-/s320/IMG_20221125_182110.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Being in a Christmas spirit, here are two of my favourite Christmas poems:</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><b>Various Portents</b><br /><i>by Alice Oswald<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Various stars. Various kings.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Various sunsets, signs, cursory insights.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Many minute attentions, many knowledgeable watchers, Much cold, much overbearing darkness.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Various long midwinter Glooms.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Various Solitary and Terrible Stars.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Many Frosty Nights, many previously Unseen Sky-flowers.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Many people setting out (some of them kings) all clutching at stars.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">More than one North Star, more than one South Star.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Several billion elliptical galaxies, bubble nebulae, binary systems, Various dust lanes, various routes through varying thicknesses of Dark, Many tunnels into deep space, minds going back and forth.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Many visions, many digitally enhanced heavens, All kinds of glistenings being gathered into telescopes:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Fireworks, gasworks, white-streaked works of Dusk, Works of wonder and/or water, snowflakes, stars of frost . . .<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Various dazed astronomers dilating their eyes, Various astronauts setting out into laughterless earthlessness, Various 5,000-year-old moon maps, Various blindmen feeling across the heavens in braille.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Various gods making beautiful works in bronze, Brooches, crowns, triangles, cups and chains, And all sorts of drystone stars put together without mortar.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Many Wisemen remarking the irregular weather.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">any exile energies, many low-voiced followers, Watchers of wisps of various glowing spindles, Soothsayers, hunters in the High Country of the Zodiac, Seafarers tossing, tied to a star ...<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Various people coming home (some of them kings). Various headlights.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Two or three children standing or sitting on the low wall.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Various winds, the Sea Wind, the sound-laden Winds of Evening Blowing the stars towards them, bringing snow.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf16NvYgUrD1_6SrLE6eVv_V3jWJnjMlUoGyiwwlLjiMlRSmzItP_w2WxLoSUJ_0R0z6mWqmcvcX78tfGh3puKbiyLzkCHavXV8g2hv4jxXij7VOk1hfwPu6Pf-SYr0_pGLn-wQOZJJPE6MDfOFJeGYaAShWOa6ng0wBc7OMrLxGb1HiuKlW0RONA/s3501/comet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="3501" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf16NvYgUrD1_6SrLE6eVv_V3jWJnjMlUoGyiwwlLjiMlRSmzItP_w2WxLoSUJ_0R0z6mWqmcvcX78tfGh3puKbiyLzkCHavXV8g2hv4jxXij7VOk1hfwPu6Pf-SYr0_pGLn-wQOZJJPE6MDfOFJeGYaAShWOa6ng0wBc7OMrLxGb1HiuKlW0RONA/s320/comet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>December</b><br /><i>by Carol Ann Duffy</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><p></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">The year dwindles and glows to December’s red jewel, my birth month.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">The sky blushes, and lays its cheek on the sparkling fields.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">Then dusk swaddles the cattle, their silhouettes simple as faith.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">These nights are gifts, our hands unwrapping the darkness to see what we have.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;">The train rushes, ecstatic, to where you are, my bright star.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And here is the link to the fabulous results of the <b>Forward prize</b>: <a href="https://www.forwardartsfoundation.org/forward-prizes-for-poetry/"><span class="s2" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.forwardartsfoundation.org/forward-prizes-for-poetry/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Recipe wise, I had a go for a Panettone of sorts and to the Christmas yule log cake. Here are the recipes:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Panettone buns</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">You need: 400 g of plain flour, one egg, 7 g of dry yeast, 50 g of melted butter, grated zest of a lemon, 100 g of sugar, a pinch of salt, 50 g of raisins and sultanas (or chocolate chips), some lukewarm water.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCXtpgaaK8qTn0GqGGWvKpB39vzO9tCLnJDAs3U0lFflx4QByIZ5DDppx9J7iEg7KnPXy9Hxpv3gei4j4kB8A3BSX5fwVFvo9xRyEuStBKNxCG-ia1PaDglTZHWfkB5nElg1vDHqmewMkErjWliR32PZBgN_r26TFvPaH2taM4xp-_mvHN5RZNeI1/s1000/panettone%20buns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCXtpgaaK8qTn0GqGGWvKpB39vzO9tCLnJDAs3U0lFflx4QByIZ5DDppx9J7iEg7KnPXy9Hxpv3gei4j4kB8A3BSX5fwVFvo9xRyEuStBKNxCG-ia1PaDglTZHWfkB5nElg1vDHqmewMkErjWliR32PZBgN_r26TFvPaH2taM4xp-_mvHN5RZNeI1/w200-h150/panettone%20buns.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Prepare the dough mixing the flour, yeast, egg, butter, lemon zest, salt and sugar. Add the water and knead the dough until soft. Leave it to rest in a warm place for 2-3 hours. Soak the raisins and sultanas in warm water then squeeze them and add to the dough. If you do not like sultanas, you can have chocolate chips. Prepare some buns and set them on a greased tray, cover with a plastic film and let them rise for another hour. Remove the film and bake at 180C for half an hour or until ready.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Nuts and Cranberry tart</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For the dough you need: two eggs, 200 g of self-raising flour, 50 g of melted butter, 100 g of sugar.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For the filling you need: 50 g of raisins and sultanas, 50 g of dry cranberries, 100 g of mixed nuts roughly chopped, the grated zest and juice of a lemon, 100 g of soft brown sugar, 2 eggs, some liquor. Icing sugar to dust.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zFv1uTf3BOnk88yje8ENq2jVS00E0nrvun80YT7GVvn2z6taUrgFxQVongtQ8kG-hKg4DWMa_l1OGg_mRXj2_Kv7T2xoFzLKBjy9B6MV7bqsnt6QxrKw7WqDbL-i5GS7qLc_vPIaPGGQFJXsFEDSEkorRymPzdgu4V3sHViaz8Fncm9YqoyL1UUo/s776/cranberry%20and%20nuts%20tart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="776" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zFv1uTf3BOnk88yje8ENq2jVS00E0nrvun80YT7GVvn2z6taUrgFxQVongtQ8kG-hKg4DWMa_l1OGg_mRXj2_Kv7T2xoFzLKBjy9B6MV7bqsnt6QxrKw7WqDbL-i5GS7qLc_vPIaPGGQFJXsFEDSEkorRymPzdgu4V3sHViaz8Fncm9YqoyL1UUo/w200-h173/cranberry%20and%20nuts%20tart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Prepare the dough mixing all the ingredients and let it rest for half an hour. Prepare the filling soaking the cranberries, sultanas and raisins in the liquor. Beat the eggs and add the zest and juice of a lemon. Add the sugar and the nuts and finally squeeze the dry fruit and add it to the mixture. Roll out the dough and set it on a greased tart tin. Pour the nut and dried fruit mixture on it and bake at 180C for half an hour or until ready. When it is cool dust the top with icing sugar.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Chocolate yule log cake</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For the cake you need: three eggs, 150 g of self-raising flour, 2 tbsp of cocoa, 100 g of sugar, 30 g of melted butter, a pinch of salt. Some parchment paper.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX-9PXId349NhxbitLrK9OkjBPLyWwuiY4OjMhrZKl16T4ohoOHynfDYeLMQvfTP_BGfG5b2y125BgEoJ2YzJnlQUgOMmwFcLXHTBbnb0M9yMiQiIW7CYpIFZcnWug9s4o9Ay0kJ1HSqTNQ_d_41briE_AE4NVAeLDJqBv1eBCqaoMrOgAL9NiUOk/s956/choc%20log.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="577" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX-9PXId349NhxbitLrK9OkjBPLyWwuiY4OjMhrZKl16T4ohoOHynfDYeLMQvfTP_BGfG5b2y125BgEoJ2YzJnlQUgOMmwFcLXHTBbnb0M9yMiQiIW7CYpIFZcnWug9s4o9Ay0kJ1HSqTNQ_d_41briE_AE4NVAeLDJqBv1eBCqaoMrOgAL9NiUOk/w121-h200/choc%20log.jpg" width="121" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For the filling you need: 250 g of double cream, 2 tbsp of icing sugar.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For the frosting you need: 50 g of soft butter, 50 g of icing sugar, one tbsp of cocoa, 2 tbsp of double cream. Chocolate curls and sprinkles to decorate.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Prepare the cake mixing all the ingredients and spread it in a rectangular shape on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes or until ready. Sprinkle some sugar on a wet tea towel and roll the cake in the towel. When it is cool whisk the double cream with the icing sugar for the filling. Unroll the cake and spread the cream on top. Reroll the cake and set it on a tray. Finally prepare the frosting mixing all the ingredients and spread it on the roll cake and decorate with festive sprinkles.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Have a lovely Christmas time 🎄🤶💗</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-71800557472707926882022-12-06T00:08:00.003-08:002022-12-06T00:23:02.021-08:00The World Cup<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am enjoying the World Cup very much. I am watching as many matches as possible but as I work full time, I usually watch only the evening one during the week. Italy is not in as it did not qualify, which was really disappointing. However, the tournament is exciting all the same. Football is my favourite sport. I used to watch it with my father when I was younger and have kept the passion for its unpredictable surprising turns. I follow every minute of the game commenting with my husband. He was disappointed too when Italy did not qualify and decided to boycott the World Cup at first, as he prefers to watch basketball and volleyball, but eventually he gave up and joined me on the sofa in front of the TV screen.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgjv66NNyQqKoP-mbHEiBlOl5DxCxeryYp6HjX8y0Y-KwmEAQRBr1v9E2G6eD8kT9TRi0CxZ3jB2Vabxchz0onhqV4fj8WBJOCw9-x3y-YXbK0iNfRDUNg5HOBY8rPKVNODKNe7Jh1JRKDnBazl9EzRBDgc6JUl19GNkL6OU7cFlKr5qOG8b8v_49/s275/portugal%2022.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgjv66NNyQqKoP-mbHEiBlOl5DxCxeryYp6HjX8y0Y-KwmEAQRBr1v9E2G6eD8kT9TRi0CxZ3jB2Vabxchz0onhqV4fj8WBJOCw9-x3y-YXbK0iNfRDUNg5HOBY8rPKVNODKNe7Jh1JRKDnBazl9EzRBDgc6JUl19GNkL6OU7cFlKr5qOG8b8v_49/s1600/portugal%2022.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After watching a few matches, I decided to support Portugal because of the fabulous Cristiano Ronaldo and the impeccable style of the whole team. They look so fit and professional and the colours of their football kit are so vibrant and perfectly shaped on their well-built bodies. Ronaldo is a big star and his attitude is sometimes controversial. Portugal has never won the World Cup though appeared in the finals of past tournaments. It would be a fantastic achievement for Ronaldo to win the World Cup considering that it is probably his last chance to compete in it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntoIBghpQxdiSANHTEzYFBG2QnjqbzijcKeg4IZuRHIcEp98Vga4MMsZkOu_B00wpg29_2NEeJPKY1rGiwiff_o_to9yZYX8NJFiGzs33v5PS1_QVTxcjPDJzqboZ8jsnRZc0_anoypor0VbFe0boR08gDFbCHweW_r7Z31E-D9484AbVcqTWHptY/s599/Kane%20World%20Cup%20Qatar.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntoIBghpQxdiSANHTEzYFBG2QnjqbzijcKeg4IZuRHIcEp98Vga4MMsZkOu_B00wpg29_2NEeJPKY1rGiwiff_o_to9yZYX8NJFiGzs33v5PS1_QVTxcjPDJzqboZ8jsnRZc0_anoypor0VbFe0boR08gDFbCHweW_r7Z31E-D9484AbVcqTWHptY/w160-h200/Kane%20World%20Cup%20Qatar.jpg" width="160" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was also impressed by the political implications involved in this event. It was disappointing that the rainbow armband supporting LGBTQ+ community was discouraged by the FIFA. It would have been a strong message against homophobia and discrimination. I expected that at least a few players would defy the sanctions and wear it. The kneeling down in support of Black Lives Matter was allowed though, the German team covered their mouths during the team photo in FIFA protest and the Iranian players did not sing the national anthem in the first match protesting against their government’s recent acts of violence against women who do not wear the hijab properly. Mingling sport, entertainment and politics was unexpected and never happened before in the football in such an extensive and influential way. This means that global problems are coming to the fore, reaching a wider audience and suggesting a re-thinking of what is going on in the world. Furthermore, the alcohol ban highlighted the cultural differences and the appalling conditions of the workforce, who are immigrants from India, Nepal and Bangladesh, was a scandal; they worked for long shifts in the heat and with little water to build the World Cup constructions. I watch daily the ‘Circolo dei Mondiali’ on RAI 1 with Alessandra De Stefano, Yuri Chechi and Sara Simeoni. They summarise the whole football day and are so entertaining, give professional comments but are also funny. It is a tournament full of surprises such as the elimination of Germany, Uruguay and Denmark and the incredible performance of Japan and Cameroon. It keeps you on your toes.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAmTongIF9GZ2sqK78zuo-BmgVbGZHHyl3lBBLtwAXHiOxZRks-IPYBVNBsQMYRyzIpqeVNBXs06JJyG37ukFIvrwEhgB0XhyR4VlfcGMZwqv-6uzBpWYSqg1eZmAkPb8-Awhm_AL25tl9km9mkRF_Jlxk3M2KuhbmF1jPXWRlX1y3kS6uXamQiW0/s310/germania%20bocca%20chiusa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAmTongIF9GZ2sqK78zuo-BmgVbGZHHyl3lBBLtwAXHiOxZRks-IPYBVNBsQMYRyzIpqeVNBXs06JJyG37ukFIvrwEhgB0XhyR4VlfcGMZwqv-6uzBpWYSqg1eZmAkPb8-Awhm_AL25tl9km9mkRF_Jlxk3M2KuhbmF1jPXWRlX1y3kS6uXamQiW0/s1600/germania%20bocca%20chiusa.jpg" width="310" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDWqLIbch2NN1_8ptO8V3UR2KACUExpavBeT-o5E28FNgCH2rEqKsDVZPCWzyZ5t4tNQRgL16oCSx1BDvyu3UIlycIYAeqBZ3w3PxG5ZAuHRpxR2d8NxWDEHoz3GMNtTglj8M-2PLtR1AstisBpAhgG5au2fYlD7YZF4DyCsPBfG12Is90OkzVDhU/s905/IMG_20221126_130334_791.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="905" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDWqLIbch2NN1_8ptO8V3UR2KACUExpavBeT-o5E28FNgCH2rEqKsDVZPCWzyZ5t4tNQRgL16oCSx1BDvyu3UIlycIYAeqBZ3w3PxG5ZAuHRpxR2d8NxWDEHoz3GMNtTglj8M-2PLtR1AstisBpAhgG5au2fYlD7YZF4DyCsPBfG12Is90OkzVDhU/w200-h200/IMG_20221126_130334_791.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Besides the World Cup, I was very busy with my writing, crochet and artwork in November. The Christmas Fair at The Lightbox in Woking went well. I sold books, paintings, scarves, cards and crochet things. I made clothes for dolls too and my drawings were very much appreciated. I noticed that people were cautious about spending compared to last year. They spent less and looked for bargains. Some stalls with jewellery that used to sell well, especially near to Christmas, this time barely sold anything. I am lucky that I have different products with a wide range of prices, from £ 1 to £ 200, but most of my things have low prices and some of them like a poem and a picture and bookmarks are free.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLweBuT9hYHCB6bn-AZ1okI49_TcVWV9hnRbhauT5R8JFxJBif3XMeyUCDM9eoDegV44TIoOdnP3-o7SfJRgLjb-lCC7iHYikFCSqkMmOm5mKR4k2vzlAPgINXWsdeVG-fDIvD3xUj4IAS6M5Okx9KNvolx7PM4b0WJnYJK0HFCtirjhx22jN1r0-/s1000/IMG_20221203_130027.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLweBuT9hYHCB6bn-AZ1okI49_TcVWV9hnRbhauT5R8JFxJBif3XMeyUCDM9eoDegV44TIoOdnP3-o7SfJRgLjb-lCC7iHYikFCSqkMmOm5mKR4k2vzlAPgINXWsdeVG-fDIvD3xUj4IAS6M5Okx9KNvolx7PM4b0WJnYJK0HFCtirjhx22jN1r0-/s320/IMG_20221203_130027.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also completed a new crochet post box installation for Christmas; it is a comet with an embroidered inscription: Reach for the Star. It is at Chobham near Tesco, as usual. I enjoyed doing it, it stirred my creativity and I hope I will have the time to carry on with this project in the future. It is pretty to see and I like the idea that it is exposed to any weather and every passer-by can see it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of my academic articles, ‘An Intertextual reading of the politics of storytelling in The Edible Woman, Surfacing, The Handmaid's Tale and Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood’ has just been published by <i>Global Journal of Human-Social Science</i>. Here are the links:</span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://socialscienceresearch.org/index.php/GJHSS/article/view/103481/35777?fbclid=IwAR2cUUf06RA4l4j9BY_5ztROEnWJAA0kQ8Tq551ZZn4cmzzgQ_ylYSJQmdY"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://socialscienceresearch.org/index.php/GJHSS/article/view/103481/35777?fbclid=IwAR2cUUf06RA4l4j9BY_5ztROEnWJAA0kQ8Tq551ZZn4cmzzgQ_ylYSJQmdY</span></a></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://doi.org/10.34257/GJHSSAVOL22IS10PG1" target="_blank">DOI: <span class="s1">https://doi.org/10.34257/GJHSSAVOL22IS10PG1</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhX8EXhVoGI37J0T6FPnAgnXjMrE5ceq5cq5c-zprr7-2gosKbgj99MlZO-aruWIm-SdCliWdiboH3vjqirOJ_uYi7NxL9xUE_NYQQydN3453UHv3dQUUwlbZrwYPeyyMVuLiIP-a_YzWM0ypbOeThyu1Nm6G8XDAvQEdL1eaEyMrvQCMMYaa6V6z/s280/burning%20questions.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="180" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhX8EXhVoGI37J0T6FPnAgnXjMrE5ceq5cq5c-zprr7-2gosKbgj99MlZO-aruWIm-SdCliWdiboH3vjqirOJ_uYi7NxL9xUE_NYQQydN3453UHv3dQUUwlbZrwYPeyyMVuLiIP-a_YzWM0ypbOeThyu1Nm6G8XDAvQEdL1eaEyMrvQCMMYaa6V6z/s1600/burning%20questions.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">It is an article I wrote for a conference paper in 2020 about artistic and political implications In Margaret Atwood’s work. My article on <i>The Testaments</i> is on its final stage and will be published by <i>Margaret Atwood Studies Journal</i> soon. I am also writing a review of Margaret Atwood’s latest collection of essays, <i>Burning Questions</i>. It is a challenging book that faces global issues, such as immigration, environmental concerns, discrimination, exponential demographic growth and the pandemic. It is a story of sorts of the last twenty years told in reviews, speeches and essays. For Atwood, storytelling and the power of words are important as ever and she suggests possible solutions that are however speculations as she remarks that there are a number of possible futures, it depends on our choices. My article on Margaret Atwood’s latest poetry has been accepted by the <i>British Journal of Canadian Studies</i> some time ago and will be out in Spring 2023, hopefully. The problem is that I am struggling with copyright permissions for the quotations from Atwood’s poems that I have included in my article. I have been working on this issue for the past eight months and I still need the permission for the quotes from <i>The Door</i> in the USA. Different companies hold the copyright and I had to contact all of them. Most of the time they do not reply to emails for weeks and you need to push and, if possible, phone them. I filled innumerable online forms and spent a massive amount of time chasing them.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My other problem is my pension scheme. I am trying to transfer some of my pension funds from a private company, Nowpension, to Surrey Pension Fund, which is the pension scheme I am working for at the moment. Before summer I started filling forms for both schemes, sending emails, and phoning them every week but I still have no results. The Surrey Pension Scheme needs an evaluation of my funds and Nowpension says that they are doing it but every time I contact them and check nothing has happened. There’s no way I can force them except by phoning them again and again. I feel cheated and powerless. Nowpension has also the right to take £ 1.75 from my funds every month until I leave them, that is, they have been taking my money since September 2019 when I started working with their pension scheme and will carry on until I leave them, though I stopped working for them in March 2020. Unbelievable!</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am very proud of my new collection <i>Workwear</i> and have received good feedback. I distributed a good number of copies to friends and family and sold it at fairs and poetry readings. The book is available here:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdts3tQRLDOniQ5pxj4jFJCfMugVewv15Kua9zAvaeSPhEHtF6gCbdoEMA2X89R5Nrq_WRg1j79uNvdHXkg4P4imgzsnj0RzjSvi1_hY6rWwYU6qK_tpqp-W-0C4D2B-5j4DfTyPzpUCBb6Md6KwFGoGPkGyZvuVLyD30_cKW3TAo_JWslaOofLA4e/s1000/IMG_20220906_165432.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdts3tQRLDOniQ5pxj4jFJCfMugVewv15Kua9zAvaeSPhEHtF6gCbdoEMA2X89R5Nrq_WRg1j79uNvdHXkg4P4imgzsnj0RzjSvi1_hY6rWwYU6qK_tpqp-W-0C4D2B-5j4DfTyPzpUCBb6Md6KwFGoGPkGyZvuVLyD30_cKW3TAo_JWslaOofLA4e/w150-h200/IMG_20220906_165432.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="http://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Publications"><span style="font-size: medium;">http://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Publications</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/the-high-window-press/%22%20%5Cl%20%22Workwear"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://thehighwindowpress.com/the-high-window-press/#Workwear</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">An article on my writings and artwork has been published here: <span style="color: red;">😊</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.blogspot.com/2022/11/introducing-carla-scarano-dantonio.html"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://wokingwriters.blogspot.com/2022/11/introducing-carla-scarano-dantonio.html</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At the Park School I am having a good time though the job is demanding. I have recently asked to work four days a week instead of five with Friday off so I can have more rest and more time for my creative work. For the next school year, I will probably ask to work three days a week only as for me it is too tiring and stressful to work full time.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have already booked for my yoga retreat on the Isle of Wight for next September which is one of the treats I am looking forward to. I will also visit my granddaughter Violetta just after her birthday, which is on the 8<sup>th</sup> of December. I prepared a lot of presents toys, clothes and books for her. I can spend only one day with her but I will treasure it.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uk-epKOSze0ooRNuaKlHnzn6t_KiLu_BD0d1zpdzSUeZ6WFzUp3rSUb0ruWRyt7fODmYtFxXITRwwtllekw71EZIQtsE8qTgF-aOe73IaWzYddkF1x3XaqBuU0_VoRlF9Uhw9ENGD_8UTBfoghDG-8MxduMcJyl5WwT3Yb197WWitsUThUBUhZB1/s1600/Violetta%20Peppa%20Pig%20coat.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="769" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uk-epKOSze0ooRNuaKlHnzn6t_KiLu_BD0d1zpdzSUeZ6WFzUp3rSUb0ruWRyt7fODmYtFxXITRwwtllekw71EZIQtsE8qTgF-aOe73IaWzYddkF1x3XaqBuU0_VoRlF9Uhw9ENGD_8UTBfoghDG-8MxduMcJyl5WwT3Yb197WWitsUThUBUhZB1/s320/Violetta%20Peppa%20Pig%20coat.jpg" width="154" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My health is alright on the whole. My diabetes levels are lower, my blood pressure is a bit too high sometimes, but it is controlled by tablets. Apparently, my cholesterol levels have increased but I will try to get it under control with a diet as I did successfully with diabetes. According to a consultant who works at St Peter’s hospital and who contacted me during the summer, I should remove one of my adrenaline glands and then take steroids for the rest of my life. Maybe he is right but when I asked for the written results of the 24 hours urine test I did last September and the blood tests I did in October he said he would send them soon but then he didn’t. We had a five-minute phone call three weeks ago when he told me his final verdict, that is, removing the gland. We are in contact with WhatsApp but I gave him my email address and home address too. I have no written diagnosis, or anything written from him and my GP hasn’t received anything either. I find this situation very strange because in Italy patients always receive written results after tests within a few days and you can see a doctor in person very easily. Here in the UK, it takes months to have the results and seeing a doctor is almost impossible. Even booking a phone call is difficult. I feel neglected and undermined; so I decided to repeat all the tests in Italy at Christmas and I have already booked an appointment with a doctor who is specialised in adrenaline glands.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We had a wonderful time at my house just last week with our friends Huan and James and their daughter Amelia who came to visit us together with some lovely neighbours, Chan and Gary, with their two little boys. The children played together, had great fun exploring and experimenting with toys I left around and everything interesting they could find, especially shells and stones in jars, my daughter’s piano, beads, crochet hooks and wool. They barely touched the gorgeous food we adults indulged in, such as my lasagna and caponata, Huan’s super dumplings and Chan’s delicious curry. We ended with panettone and pandoro soaked in vanilla ice cream and accompanied with prosecco.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is my recipe of caponata:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4UW3bzNQC1a5MElCrTmhnlfVapEFRl7-GY0t4eupXVTdP8eFkQUna-NiZluVKOmfSy5s79yA0b7IUDwWCQv1LdBaGArREXVf1iCNdzQcy4DtiA0GxOov154sw78F13dU4MaG1RSFq_rL-wqbYACiF8BG1eQlx6URaRdOilM7qFeY2j-BgTxXRS6g/s1000/caponata.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4UW3bzNQC1a5MElCrTmhnlfVapEFRl7-GY0t4eupXVTdP8eFkQUna-NiZluVKOmfSy5s79yA0b7IUDwWCQv1LdBaGArREXVf1iCNdzQcy4DtiA0GxOov154sw78F13dU4MaG1RSFq_rL-wqbYACiF8BG1eQlx6URaRdOilM7qFeY2j-BgTxXRS6g/s320/caponata.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 5-6 fresh tomatoes or passata, one pepper, one potato, one peeled aubergine, raisins, pine nuts, a stalk of celery and half an onion finely cut, some vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can start by frying the finely cut celery and onion in olive oil and then add the chopped tomatoes peeled and seeded. To peel them easily keep them in hot water for 15 minutes. Add the potato peeled and chopped in cubes and finally the pepper and aubergine cut in pieces and then the rest of the ingredients. Add water if necessary. Simmer for half an hour or until ready.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Enjoy! <span style="color: red;">👌😋</span></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-57529248993977524472022-11-08T14:17:00.003-08:002022-11-08T23:09:21.219-08:00My October half term<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufzsiRJPECzWwSjfLbp3NAUV5bzIf2ZAm0L6ngNT1EkCKd5wyn0LkYHOEwt-qg6m8vo7GURTTMJTn7pbT9qTYX5IKJLA2qPWuf7DQqstS2A6bV046iAEqvZqF2ZPMVUNVlq_EC57Fav84D5v4XcbvVcrGd7wlY1PmJjtGovBEWS3Ih69TqSndYCOk/s805/IMG_20221029_115306.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="805" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufzsiRJPECzWwSjfLbp3NAUV5bzIf2ZAm0L6ngNT1EkCKd5wyn0LkYHOEwt-qg6m8vo7GURTTMJTn7pbT9qTYX5IKJLA2qPWuf7DQqstS2A6bV046iAEqvZqF2ZPMVUNVlq_EC57Fav84D5v4XcbvVcrGd7wlY1PmJjtGovBEWS3Ih69TqSndYCOk/s320/IMG_20221029_115306.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The weather was temperate despite some rainy days and chilly starts. I wore long loose jumpers and leggings in blue, bottle green, maroon and sand colour. A colourful scarf from Betty&Claude is always around my neck and I choose earrings with autumn colours. A few of my tomatoes are still ripening and cyclamen, geraniums, morning glories and zucchini flowers still bloom. At the same time trees are splashed with shades of yellow, ochre and red; it is an amazing spectacle of criss-crossing of seasons.<br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I travelled north with my husband and my daughter as soon as I finished school. We spent a few days in Newcastle with my sons and their families and met some friends up there too. It wasn’t cold so I wore my corduroy dresses and leggings. We went to Pani’s restaurant all together with our friends Greg and Gillian as well, their son Jack, and Alex, a fellow poet and friend. We had delicious Sardinian food, Mediterranean starters, ravioli sardi and culurgiones. We all loved it and chatted about our families, hobbies and interests. My granddaughter Violetta showed off a bit but was very well behaved. We brought her some toys I made for her, crochet flowers and some plastic fidget things. Unfortunately, the last day she was sick but still lively and curious.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jJxVVDWReGzjeDM-srj7rujSVKKWeBwhkbRJHpEheUCxvJGjwZMrI22Qhnebz6FXh5IDiIlDymax_Fiq7qf1hXx5kgPHZwJgwYOjrrTvFv0p_H_o-OCGLVO8TzsKI8KWseJJh32rEmSUA_UT6E_fSfQcQXDemPqB9WpELuCXutxhiMthnaQRCJl7/s1000/IMG_20221022_195236.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jJxVVDWReGzjeDM-srj7rujSVKKWeBwhkbRJHpEheUCxvJGjwZMrI22Qhnebz6FXh5IDiIlDymax_Fiq7qf1hXx5kgPHZwJgwYOjrrTvFv0p_H_o-OCGLVO8TzsKI8KWseJJh32rEmSUA_UT6E_fSfQcQXDemPqB9WpELuCXutxhiMthnaQRCJl7/s320/IMG_20221022_195236.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We visited The Lindisfarne Gospels’ exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery and the 7 Storeys building that features books for children and young adults with displays that show stories and illustrations in colourful pictures. The children are engaged in exploring the different rooms not only looking and reading the books available but also producing their own work in comments and drawings. I bought some books for the little children I know and whom sometimes I meet, supporting their growth in my own way. The exhibition of The Lindisfarne Gospels was very interesting. It hosts one of the world’s best preserved illuminated books on loan from the British Library. It is a manuscript composed at</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwii3742QcSf2U8CbVB9fozbScTH9tQ1Gg5sG0SS8pGDF3hPI3zsHmF1QXUYzaNUW2sYwNlO2b1wIsr4P0lNTd3dE_aKK_hGQK0NODL52G4VtbMW1PJH8cJyyNhEAb2Mcy7TKPlgYmV5rUj9vTVlyClH71yY_OCyGFMrVW_SRWlAaPYF5nxwe9b9x/s1000/MacRegol%20Gospels.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwii3742QcSf2U8CbVB9fozbScTH9tQ1Gg5sG0SS8pGDF3hPI3zsHmF1QXUYzaNUW2sYwNlO2b1wIsr4P0lNTd3dE_aKK_hGQK0NODL52G4VtbMW1PJH8cJyyNhEAb2Mcy7TKPlgYmV5rUj9vTVlyClH71yY_OCyGFMrVW_SRWlAaPYF5nxwe9b9x/w200-h150/MacRegol%20Gospels.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> Lindisfarne Abbey in the 8<sup>th</sup> century by a single scribe, Eadfrith, who took ten years to complete it. Eadfrith was also one of the the bishops of Lindisfarne and wrote the Gospels in honour of St. Cuthbert who died in 687 AD. The book is perfectly preserved with portraits of the Evangelists at the beginning of each Gospel and decorations in geometric patterns which were influenced by Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Mediterranean designs. The pages are made of vellum and the pigments used for the illuminations are from plants and minerals. The exhibition also displays cross fragments and slabs as well as modern artworks that link religious, spiritual and contemplative devotion to art. Not only religion but also nature and visual experiences inspire meditation and self-healing in a search to make sense of life. I have written the review of the exhibition for London Grip, here is the link:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/10/the-lindisfarne-gospels-at-laing-art-gallery-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=239&wppa-photo=4966"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/10/the-lindisfarne-gospels-at-laing-art-gallery-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=239&wppa-photo=4966</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We also visited the Northumberland Zoo where you can get close to lemurs and wallabies and had a delicious brunch at Kennedy&Rhind in Newcastle with excellent cappuccino and sublime pastries.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1OETzawNM4RoyNelMX5AxIk-4Tx5_nDgUfu74RQUFzF55RJ4XutvV3ilmNaWYfY_B2R7KxmTfVfkt0sqZsEUyqm0G8x_YibAflrMVwIWMGbzHX1T6O1K1szdb7qYDAXhg-R083NjbRXfhGooMdfDUHiGLQcUEN09ZcSftKizqRP9H97OnpdApVnS/s652/yoga-retreat.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="571" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1OETzawNM4RoyNelMX5AxIk-4Tx5_nDgUfu74RQUFzF55RJ4XutvV3ilmNaWYfY_B2R7KxmTfVfkt0sqZsEUyqm0G8x_YibAflrMVwIWMGbzHX1T6O1K1szdb7qYDAXhg-R083NjbRXfhGooMdfDUHiGLQcUEN09ZcSftKizqRP9H97OnpdApVnS/w175-h200/yoga-retreat.jpg" width="175" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My article on the fabulous yoga retreat in the Isle of Wight is out on Woking Writers Circle’s website, here is the link:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/10/28/body-combat-sessions-evening-swimming-fancy-dress-and-plenty-of-cake-all-this-and-yoga-too/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/10/28/body-combat-sessions-evening-swimming-fancy-dress-and-plenty-of-cake-all-this-and-yoga-too/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here are the links to the reviews I wrote during the summer until now:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hannah Maria Stanislaus, <i>Extremely Aggressive Uneducated & Rough</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvp-0u-amtRqpk4r9ttvLSseFi08wIPKWkeHflzI_XosW3Adhuq-XaxCr8LqARyzcz2boZj_esKBlNHg0CTmff1rqjWrl90FsJQqpBxHuMHBb6yWY_gaBocW6gtgRDo7-KwPjsyVbzDwjXhA31GFL8EqB0SSPbNfMpkQauOFQRNr8MSm6sUUhBiep/s521/cover%20Hannah%20Stanislaus.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="447" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvp-0u-amtRqpk4r9ttvLSseFi08wIPKWkeHflzI_XosW3Adhuq-XaxCr8LqARyzcz2boZj_esKBlNHg0CTmff1rqjWrl90FsJQqpBxHuMHBb6yWY_gaBocW6gtgRDo7-KwPjsyVbzDwjXhA31GFL8EqB0SSPbNfMpkQauOFQRNr8MSm6sUUhBiep/w172-h200/cover%20Hannah%20Stanislaus.jpg" width="172" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/london-grip-poetry-review-hannah-maria-stanislaus/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/london-grip-poetry-review-hannah-maria-stanislaus/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">James Bell, </span><i>On the Royal Road: with Hiroshige on the Tōkaidō</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/08/27/on-the-royal-road-with-hiroshige-on-the-tokaido-by-james-bell-shearman-books/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-8451">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/08/27/on-the-royal-road-with-hiroshige-on-the-tokaido-by-james-bell-shearman-books/#like-8451</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">David Cooke, <i>The Metal Exchange<br /></i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/london-grip-poetry-review-david-cooke-4/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/london-grip-poetry-review-david-cooke-4/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sanjeev Sethi, <i>Wrappings in Bespoke</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZxeZNUIALpkoETa-BaAm-K8toEGBPzBcTDQfBYR_ypOvnsXJYS-omSpFz65fr6bsp79d8rGF4PudPkLpCHyx1tom1luq9GB6L8CnIUTMT9RojhP9_7STW6v5dq7hXLsBmd4i1_OXOHOvABM11ZNAlGjRdIHCO3JnfONo4DHsPhD9kr6BecFlJJdb/s1158/2al%20WRAPPINGS%20IN%20BESPOKE%20from%20Mark%20June%2024,%202022%20Inside%20Cover%20(Final).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1158" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZxeZNUIALpkoETa-BaAm-K8toEGBPzBcTDQfBYR_ypOvnsXJYS-omSpFz65fr6bsp79d8rGF4PudPkLpCHyx1tom1luq9GB6L8CnIUTMT9RojhP9_7STW6v5dq7hXLsBmd4i1_OXOHOvABM11ZNAlGjRdIHCO3JnfONo4DHsPhD9kr6BecFlJJdb/w200-h141/2al%20WRAPPINGS%20IN%20BESPOKE%20from%20Mark%20June%2024,%202022%20Inside%20Cover%20(Final).jpg" width="200" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/10/16/wrappings-in-bespoke-by-sanjeev-sethi-hedgehog-press-poetry/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-8675">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/10/16/wrappings-in-bespoke-by-sanjeev-sethi-hedgehog-press-poetry/#like-8675</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ian Seed, ‘Unsettling encounters: The poetry of Ian Seed’ (<i>Tears in the Fence</i>, issue 76, October 2022)</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Richard Skinner, <i>Dream into Play</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2L2m-6Sof7i94HSi9nRInEfJXTaH1QbWfqg4Krka7icAu1l4KkXU-whZOyRZdJc3Dorh0XJjyAia3c9GPkPhpTcRdI2uFF755QaefeyWeaReJOxKFtuN4loSAWqVCGbK92cMTn4cofZH-J8sjDk_ISkYwDD-e0iZiryKIkq0gMJ_HpPqrq1H2aKbK/s1000/skinner.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2L2m-6Sof7i94HSi9nRInEfJXTaH1QbWfqg4Krka7icAu1l4KkXU-whZOyRZdJc3Dorh0XJjyAia3c9GPkPhpTcRdI2uFF755QaefeyWeaReJOxKFtuN4loSAWqVCGbK92cMTn4cofZH-J8sjDk_ISkYwDD-e0iZiryKIkq0gMJ_HpPqrq1H2aKbK/w150-h200/skinner.jpg" width="150" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/london-grip-poetry-review-richard-skinner-2/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/london-grip-poetry-review-richard-skinner-2/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ron Scowcroft, <i>Second Glance</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/2022/09/15/reviews-autumn-2022/%22%20%5Cl%20%22Ron%20Scowcroft">https://thehighwindowpress.com/2022/09/15/reviews-autumn-2022/#Ron%20Scowcroft</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Robert Garnham, <i>Woodview</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=125258">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=125258</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWu3-BwPPPag3Ks57VmMTdk54xmxvQyS8C7LiUqKxN9o6a1clMxc_HE_i54U65IEIRVGYkxddMx2X9JmZplg9H3luUguXPqeFPqdo0jj9Wt5iCbA-r3EfT4lBqD2hiamYNUO4-tStSbQPiWe89u3kUZdAERWL-4v3HQCHpDknYcpK96xOn9e14ugXY/s299/betrayals.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="211" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWu3-BwPPPag3Ks57VmMTdk54xmxvQyS8C7LiUqKxN9o6a1clMxc_HE_i54U65IEIRVGYkxddMx2X9JmZplg9H3luUguXPqeFPqdo0jj9Wt5iCbA-r3EfT4lBqD2hiamYNUO4-tStSbQPiWe89u3kUZdAERWL-4v3HQCHpDknYcpK96xOn9e14ugXY/w141-h200/betrayals.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Ian Seed, <i>Betrayals</i></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/10/30/betrayals-by-ian-seed-like-this-press/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-8761">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/10/30/betrayals-by-ian-seed-like-this-press/#like-8761</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Conyer Clayton, <i>But the sun, and the ships, and the fish, and the waves</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetemzreview.com/review-carla-scarano-dantanio-clayton.html">https://www.thetemzreview.com/review-carla-scarano-dantanio-clayton.html</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Joshua Nguyen, <i>Come Clean</i></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjcK8Qwqyu9qnzM8jd6QIQ2DyhK82gd6u9CbmVbo8DdsgkJtMxox5zKkHOaLU8BMSVWKfC0pRpiQ_83s5oHzIVPDKZmecWYxFG7uKOGzB9ZpwGkac6jnuGkrLrfZZNwz4BxgzFadhPIhoMKFcIBvgieAorMY1qm-tpSGaliRKvJ9U1yD-oF9YMUKG/s1555/Robert%20Garnham.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1555" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjcK8Qwqyu9qnzM8jd6QIQ2DyhK82gd6u9CbmVbo8DdsgkJtMxox5zKkHOaLU8BMSVWKfC0pRpiQ_83s5oHzIVPDKZmecWYxFG7uKOGzB9ZpwGkac6jnuGkrLrfZZNwz4BxgzFadhPIhoMKFcIBvgieAorMY1qm-tpSGaliRKvJ9U1yD-oF9YMUKG/w139-h200/Robert%20Garnham.jpg" width="139" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Garnham</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2022/">https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2022/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eleanor Hooker, <i>Of Ochre and Ash</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/2022/06/21/reviews-for-summer-2022/%22%20%5Cl%20%22Eleanor%20Hooker">https://thehighwindowpress.com/2022/06/21/reviews-for-summer-2022/#Eleanor%20Hooker</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ralph Calver, <i>A Passable Man</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/2022/09/15/reviews-autumn-2022/%22%20%5Cl%20%22Ralph%20Culver">https://thehighwindowpress.com/2022/09/15/reviews-autumn-2022/#Ralph%20Culver</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Greg Freeman, <i>The Fall of Singapore</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD67Nn5EI-Kkrs_aG0CX_1uvkbkl2j1COQEUb-Jizw06ULVaBZt8W3k9_HZfsgcn_fk-os0-Jx0iBb-iA2M-9sK1ssBYIac6LXAWYwpCT4xyO58B3gaZYv3sLwUx1MDLEqmKEKWmnG_0vwW-Lao5suG7dlxjxZu6HQIUqHDZDk5mqkmPFmsVlYWNbA/s258/the%20fall%20of%20singapore.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD67Nn5EI-Kkrs_aG0CX_1uvkbkl2j1COQEUb-Jizw06ULVaBZt8W3k9_HZfsgcn_fk-os0-Jx0iBb-iA2M-9sK1ssBYIac6LXAWYwpCT4xyO58B3gaZYv3sLwUx1MDLEqmKEKWmnG_0vwW-Lao5suG7dlxjxZu6HQIUqHDZDk5mqkmPFmsVlYWNbA/w141-h200/the%20fall%20of%20singapore.jpeg" width="141" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/07/london-grip-poetry-review-greg-freeman-2/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/07/london-grip-poetry-review-greg-freeman-2/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jennifer Dick, <i>That which touch has no name</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/07/26/that-which-i-touch-has-no-name-by-jennifer-k-dick-black-spring-press-group/">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/07/26/that-which-i-touch-has-no-name-by-jennifer-k-dick-black-spring-press-group/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brit Shneuer, <i>The Cat comes and with her garden<br /></i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=124397">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=124397</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stephen Claughton, <i>The 3D Clock</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/08/24/the-3-d-clock-by-stephen-claughton-dempsey-windle/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-8438">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/08/24/the-3-d-clock-by-stephen-claughton-dempsey-windle/#like-8438</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Charlotte Harker, <i>The Novel and Other Incidents</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/the-novel-and-other-incidents/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/the-novel-and-other-incidents/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here are the reviews of art exhibitions:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Raphael <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/07/raphael-national-gallery-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=229&wppa-photo=4576">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/07/raphael-national-gallery-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=229&wppa-photo=4576</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lubaina Himid</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/lubaina-himid-tate-modern-review-by-carla-scarano/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/lubaina-himid-tate-modern-review-by-carla-scarano/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSsvDAmQbzo1X8s_jWD9gc12_ZaJlcDRbJkkbTmXRHIurLCTdPM0ISwE0a5R4JutbNfA_g0bsvJAyP9pC-xLJiNSb5pL7MN9UV5dXaZeKwX2qBhgOJ_Lt7tbCWcyp8Qip1jn8K8gpFStRWYpYF1Bok2gMPHLn-pjrfs86tZ8ba45ivGy9XbHIgPS8/s1000/Man%20in%20a%20shirt%20drawer,%202017-18.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSsvDAmQbzo1X8s_jWD9gc12_ZaJlcDRbJkkbTmXRHIurLCTdPM0ISwE0a5R4JutbNfA_g0bsvJAyP9pC-xLJiNSb5pL7MN9UV5dXaZeKwX2qBhgOJ_Lt7tbCWcyp8Qip1jn8K8gpFStRWYpYF1Bok2gMPHLn-pjrfs86tZ8ba45ivGy9XbHIgPS8/w150-h200/Man%20in%20a%20shirt%20drawer,%202017-18.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Africa Fashion<br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/africa-fashion-va-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/africa-fashion-va-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A Window on Scottish Art</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/06/27/a-window-into-scottish-art-the-ingram-and-fleming-collections/">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/06/27/a-window-into-scottish-art-the-ingram-and-fleming-collections/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Lindisfarne Gospels</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/10/the-lindisfarne-gospels-at-laing-art-gallery-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=239&wppa-photo=4966">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/10/the-lindisfarne-gospels-at-laing-art-gallery-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=239&wppa-photo=4966</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Canaletto and Melissa McGill: Performance and Panorama</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/08/06/canaletto-and-melissa-mcgill-performance-and-panorama/">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/08/06/canaletto-and-melissa-mcgill-performance-and-panorama/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViOtoqNc8MisnpU_oz7Y0i1Tpt0vREVH5Dupm_jAK1cdzOd5m_SBDlG1b1TsWwvs_pfrDZfn5cRCauYgx4_K199LgkKHHnMgVE1lBSswh51gSbiKz5so_V7Wdfh4IkCnCljOMZBIjGzl80OtDwx8fInZFA776ujysvFXsd1sNRqGb5Y1QK39UVAON/s1000/IMG_20220719_152725.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViOtoqNc8MisnpU_oz7Y0i1Tpt0vREVH5Dupm_jAK1cdzOd5m_SBDlG1b1TsWwvs_pfrDZfn5cRCauYgx4_K199LgkKHHnMgVE1lBSswh51gSbiKz5so_V7Wdfh4IkCnCljOMZBIjGzl80OtDwx8fInZFA776ujysvFXsd1sNRqGb5Y1QK39UVAON/w200-h150/IMG_20220719_152725.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Ingram Collection: Revisiting British Art</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="%22">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/11/the-ingram-collection-revisiting-british-art-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=240&wppa-photo=5000</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Feminine Power</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/feminine-power-the-divine-and-the-demonic-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=233&wppa-photo=4715">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/feminine-power-the-divine-and-the-demonic-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=233&wppa-photo=4715</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2022</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/royal-academy-of-arts-summer-exhibition-2022-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=232&wppa-photo=4639">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/royal-academy-of-arts-summer-exhibition-2022-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=232&wppa-photo=4639</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Casa Balla</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/casa-balla-review-by-carla-scarano/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/casa-balla-review-by-carla-scarano/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some of my poems and a short piece have been published here:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No Good no Bad; Pristine</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/poems-2022/">https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/poems-2022/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: #1d9bf0;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yoga Classes</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/08/20/happy-holidays-from-woking-writers-circle/">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/08/20/happy-holidays-from-woking-writers-circle/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I remember how to fly; Worlds to come: Regeneration; Risacca; Luna</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2022/10/dantonio-remember-fly/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2022/10/dantonio-remember-fly/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Imaginarium</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/31883-2/">https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/31883-2/</a></span><span class="s5" style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsPNpBEswQJdUVYEyMQ_fGjpxUGnAPmYBwMu0Muk8sDA44Vz1OuNOWC4KuguUOuS5-priPxvhRYVhF8A5JzSIor_NTWKq7_a917_aICnDnLLgVfZ_qjbiAbOwvbZniOoIsdB2OQnthgkq2xnj66Dbjc8PpB3K0bu_a7aEpPBO7XKZkH58LXii5yaG/s1000/OWP.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsPNpBEswQJdUVYEyMQ_fGjpxUGnAPmYBwMu0Muk8sDA44Vz1OuNOWC4KuguUOuS5-priPxvhRYVhF8A5JzSIor_NTWKq7_a917_aICnDnLLgVfZ_qjbiAbOwvbZniOoIsdB2OQnthgkq2xnj66Dbjc8PpB3K0bu_a7aEpPBO7XKZkH58LXii5yaG/s320/OWP.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tightening in/loosing out, Built to match existing, architectural plans, I don't mind failing in this world, You are not supposed to be rude, On giving up, The delay of summer<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://thebezine.com/portfolio/carla-scarano-dantonio/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://thebezine.com/portfolio/carla-scarano-dantonio/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Obsessed With Pipework</i> published my poem ‘Villa Torlonia revisited’ in issue 100.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Besides my participation to the Tears in the Fence Festival and my contribution to its blog as well with my essay on Ian Seed’s work on TITF issue 76, I am also taking part in the Ver poets (<a href="https://verpoets.co.uk/"><span class="s6" style="color: #0563c1;">https://verpoets.co.uk/</span></a> ) zoom workshops that focus on single poets such as W.H. Auden, Fiona Benson and Michael Longley and also give feedback to the members’ poetry. I joined zoom sessions with the poets I used to meet when I lived in Lancaster such as Sarah Hymas, Barbara Hickson, Mike Barlow and Ron Scowcroft and my profile is now on Second Light website:</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.secondlightlive.co.uk/members/carlascaranodantonio.shtml"><span class="s6" style="color: #0563c1;">http://www.secondlightlive.co.uk/members/carlascaranodantonio.shtml</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The launch of Write Out Loud anthology at The Lightbox on the 27<sup>th</sup> of October was very successful. The book features excellent poetry from the poets that took part in WOL open mics in the past years. The anthology can be purchased on Amazon here:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hDf6qqnzHK1ekCGfnjjGcpNO3Up8GQBzeKSv1RXdaNkUgHX-w1AKfQ_KO9zvEfsRiPjqAUV5l0S3PyV8LsaaZPgcPQcm4vQRYsJIV1b3OjFynlF8JqnHU6lMU7xEBeOLI6MxDSMzOfdCEogUOtstEL_OiCr4BAgydjDFJSXOxvj95H_Uqz2sFSM8/s2048/WOL%20Halloween%202022.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hDf6qqnzHK1ekCGfnjjGcpNO3Up8GQBzeKSv1RXdaNkUgHX-w1AKfQ_KO9zvEfsRiPjqAUV5l0S3PyV8LsaaZPgcPQcm4vQRYsJIV1b3OjFynlF8JqnHU6lMU7xEBeOLI6MxDSMzOfdCEogUOtstEL_OiCr4BAgydjDFJSXOxvj95H_Uqz2sFSM8/s320/WOL%20Halloween%202022.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/FINDING-OUR-VOICES-WOKING-2016-2022/dp/B0BCXVL3YV/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3RQ1UQVWYE064&keywords=write+out+loud+anthology&qid=1665598849&sprefix=write+out+loud+anthology%2Caps%2C60&sr=8-5"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/FINDING-OUR-VOICES-WOKING-2016-2022/dp/B0BCXVL3YV/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3RQ1UQVWYE064&keywords=write+out+loud+anthology&qid=1665598849&sprefix=write+out+loud+anthology%2Caps%2C60&sr=8-5</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was cocompare for the first time and introduced the second part with poetry on a Halloween theme. I dressed up a bit and read some poems from the poetry foundation website (<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/142010/halloween-poems"><span class="s6" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/142010/halloween-poems</span></a> ) and my poem ‘Bat Files’:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Bat files</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Halloween creatures, flying mice</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">roosting in trees, buildings,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">cliff faces, old mines and bridges.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The reassurance of stereotypes rises to significance,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a momentary reiteration of old tales.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Their communication is a silent music<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">of echolocation that defies language<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">to navigate the landscape, to signal food</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">or distress and mating opportunities.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pipistrelles and noctules,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Barbastelle bats, myotises;<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the familiar ugliness of long ears, beady eyes,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">hand-wings menacingly unfurling<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in our imagination against the high, white moon.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQdfLgHjBMB-i_M93wy_klkD0Q2tDoZyB0WGyU4mIPk7gIF2nHpt9pKHQlaNN-uHBGpediDBVevyrxaFoLCFIhiRtKr6oyuUv5svAXD9prO2AjTBFNcfS_Z6YqzwyxYrjPqKEJQmF1RJn1csyRWPJuGLlgtC0bLWpuwG2f5frOdeZoJtKobVepdfn/s9921/WORKWEAR%20A5%20front%20cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9921" data-original-width="6992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQdfLgHjBMB-i_M93wy_klkD0Q2tDoZyB0WGyU4mIPk7gIF2nHpt9pKHQlaNN-uHBGpediDBVevyrxaFoLCFIhiRtKr6oyuUv5svAXD9prO2AjTBFNcfS_Z6YqzwyxYrjPqKEJQmF1RJn1csyRWPJuGLlgtC0bLWpuwG2f5frOdeZoJtKobVepdfn/s320/WORKWEAR%20A5%20front%20cover.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My new collection <i>Workwear</i> published by The High Window is finally out. Here is the link to a new web page on my website where you can know more about my work and purchase a copy of the book:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Welcome">https://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Welcome</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> <br /></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Publications&normal">https://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Publications&normal</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I will also add links to reviews as soon as they are published as well as the link to the publisher’s website. The launch will be next year both on zoom and at The Lightbox. The book is also on sale at The Lionsheart bookshop in the centre of Woking, 67 Commercial Way, GU21 6HN (<a href="https://www.lionsheartbookshop.co.uk/"><span class="s6" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.lionsheartbookshop.co.uk/</span></a> ).</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My webmaster Andrew created the page. He is not only managing my website and A2A Advertising (<a href="https://www.a2a.co.uk/"><span class="s1">https://www.a2a.co.uk/</span></a><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"> </span>), but he is also a great cook. Here is the link to his blog:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://sawreytosicily.blogspot.com/">https://sawreytosicily.blogspot.com/</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">His recipes have intriguing introductions and great pictures. I made the excellent ratatouille and will try the blackberry, apple and plum pie soon. He also posted Italian, Greek and Turkish recipes, a revelation.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZ9vB6AC8Al345lc7JR6-DLFG8rMvLYn7FxB_mHtA2WrId4i0uNYoUiyl8jXXyKzdW1DuRRK5kT_qIB-zQibZQ91IiQAHmyOb_b0VPCcpWcK_81je-um3RoowbohtklzU16jVDyarcihxY3uQoPw6XDH3t-E_tJIfgyfCWp978SsZ5Cw0SQnWRH8t/s4000/Alexander%20McQueen_Bird%20dress.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZ9vB6AC8Al345lc7JR6-DLFG8rMvLYn7FxB_mHtA2WrId4i0uNYoUiyl8jXXyKzdW1DuRRK5kT_qIB-zQibZQ91IiQAHmyOb_b0VPCcpWcK_81je-um3RoowbohtklzU16jVDyarcihxY3uQoPw6XDH3t-E_tJIfgyfCWp978SsZ5Cw0SQnWRH8t/w200-h150/Alexander%20McQueen_Bird%20dress.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The Woking Art Society’s exhibition at The Lightbox was great. I sold a folio, ‘Bird Dress’ inspired by Alexander McQueen’ s creation,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and I also bought a piece of sculpture by Sophie Coad (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/soulsculpturebysophie/?hl=en-gb&__coig_restricted=1"><span class="s6" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.instagram.com/soulsculpturebysophie/?hl=en-<br />gb&__coig_restricted=1</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/coad_sophie"><span class="s6" style="color: #0563c1;">https://twitter.com/coad_sophie</span></a> ), ‘Dormouse’, a cute small piece you can hold in your hand. I had commissions to reproduce my ‘British Mania’ series and a painting about Indian textiles. At The Lightbox the Ingram collection’s new exhibition has just opened, ‘The Ingram Collection: Revisiting British Art’, in the Upper Gallery. The event coincided with the launch of the book <i>Revisiting Modern British Art</i> (Lund Humphries, 2022) edited by Jo Baring and sponsored by the Ingram Art Foundation. It is an interesting and varied show that displays artworks made by British artists in the 20<sup>th</sup> century such as Eduardo Paolozzi, Graham Sutherland, Anthony Caro, Edward Burra and William Turnbull. Here is the link to my review:<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytQiIb2MF2TfIiOucyI8fM9glL-qIw2miLFKT-GrWdnFodoJUvtNH2AZ0vBwz7ZJ2TSUpxOMz5aggj4ttXZDYGP8vxNAL6kDfPWANbLyEF3neV6BPFGthbHrEfzlC7-aO6LaWDeE9xtrR9D-CoYufhJj1nuhEn_oR4kTWt4kg-x06jDDYwt5iolpB/s750/IMG_20221015_173311_edit_6761259113549.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="750" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytQiIb2MF2TfIiOucyI8fM9glL-qIw2miLFKT-GrWdnFodoJUvtNH2AZ0vBwz7ZJ2TSUpxOMz5aggj4ttXZDYGP8vxNAL6kDfPWANbLyEF3neV6BPFGthbHrEfzlC7-aO6LaWDeE9xtrR9D-CoYufhJj1nuhEn_oR4kTWt4kg-x06jDDYwt5iolpB/w200-h194/IMG_20221015_173311_edit_6761259113549.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="%22">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/11/the-ingram-collection-revisiting-british-art-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=240&wppa-photo=5000</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We celebrated Halloween with my daughter Valentina dressing up and painting our faces and decorated the front door with pumpkins, bats, spiders and other scary things to encourage treat-or-treaters to knock on our door and welcomed them with plenty of chocolate and candy. We had great fun. My daughter Valentina loves Halloween and sometimes wears her Halloween costume until Christmas.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfAHgAU__icOJiqzhi-MxLsC4lr0W4TwpfuCtVqKCll6O2U6kDeprsaepocdRgyOuByV5zpqPoRFHJNZTV4xvv3SZrFBdHKEG8nOB07as2h2mh-xpM6eq2NuZBuxJpLqu6YoV6yb-MECxGbi_Uita5LMu_7zlyV-PYKBD3rKhBCZHYc91kDmp8skT/s1000/IMG_20221030_151525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfAHgAU__icOJiqzhi-MxLsC4lr0W4TwpfuCtVqKCll6O2U6kDeprsaepocdRgyOuByV5zpqPoRFHJNZTV4xvv3SZrFBdHKEG8nOB07as2h2mh-xpM6eq2NuZBuxJpLqu6YoV6yb-MECxGbi_Uita5LMu_7zlyV-PYKBD3rKhBCZHYc91kDmp8skT/s320/IMG_20221030_151525.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My crochet pumpkin is installed at Tesco in Chobham with the addition of crochet poppies. I am planning a star for Christmas and I am also working on some crochet decorations for the craft fair at The Lightbox on 26 and 27 November (<a href="http://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Readings_%26amp%3B_Fairs"><span class="s6" style="color: #0563c1;">http://www.carlascaranod.co.uk/?Readings_%26amp%3B_Fairs</span></a> ).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi116hw6wTROBM7C6VPmNM3jnCoh0wLClscRxiMIr0WAqcOq05GNBJ-zqFf77PIhUOvWiGi2oLmnqP2pfGGgC1KN5AcCIsDRS8aKI8NEFR15UTbd3ZsWTdReEA6CPWbFUNZDQIg9m9ke24c5-vuma50i0sPWuNxlujhAK7YXiVzfjPP7m8DAp9WpWRc/s1000/Pumpkin%20crochet%20installation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi116hw6wTROBM7C6VPmNM3jnCoh0wLClscRxiMIr0WAqcOq05GNBJ-zqFf77PIhUOvWiGi2oLmnqP2pfGGgC1KN5AcCIsDRS8aKI8NEFR15UTbd3ZsWTdReEA6CPWbFUNZDQIg9m9ke24c5-vuma50i0sPWuNxlujhAK7YXiVzfjPP7m8DAp9WpWRc/s320/Pumpkin%20crochet%20installation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3uKfNX36M2601sEHjxLB_KQ45b2b-Hh_99Co6Ob-xLhcqwQB-Y9NUEmn9qnVaXDLpwXu2n7WB5DbBQLWmCneOymsaYfLwpEKLiCr0VkZEyNUR6o4HVzFo0RBiSfnRg-wfwOVucaIxle1-A6OHDW-Q81KVUYXcWHxKeib0Vt3D8Db2gcxYfAsLU0L/s2296/Boris%20Truss%20Sunak_puppets.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="2296" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3uKfNX36M2601sEHjxLB_KQ45b2b-Hh_99Co6Ob-xLhcqwQB-Y9NUEmn9qnVaXDLpwXu2n7WB5DbBQLWmCneOymsaYfLwpEKLiCr0VkZEyNUR6o4HVzFo0RBiSfnRg-wfwOVucaIxle1-A6OHDW-Q81KVUYXcWHxKeib0Vt3D8Db2gcxYfAsLU0L/s320/Boris%20Truss%20Sunak_puppets.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">We have been having a roller coaster political period both in Italy and in the UK. Liz Truss seemed to be the best option just two months ago. They said she would bring positive changes and unity. It didn’t happen and the failure of her mini-budget, which had been predicted, and the U-turns proved fatal. It was embarrassing. Labour party’s opinion polls rocketed taking advantage of the Conservatives’ infights. Rishi Sunak became the favourite leader though Boris Johnson attempted a comeback like Cincinnatus. Sunak looks handsome, fit and confident; he promises stability. Why didn’t he gain the majority of votes in the first place? Now everybody thinks he will do better than Truss. However, the global situation is not easy, Covid-19 still lingers in different variants, the Ukrainian conflict and the energy crisis are patent and consequently the inflation, and global warming issues menace our planet. It is a challenging extended period of crisis and instability, a ‘permacrisis’.<br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93SaiV7BhhFIOI896DDGpxwzIrL6-MwbnNdNRRWjtAtkBn_Xjya06ZCrdNOlgqale3oN7-cC6g74ZztkV2DNqOHH92Y2wbvhBODDoVLdG4U_1NMPOgLOLD4nDze8M32WCljVJyRvHXepVje1-m0fhehCTUkttnU4XOf05-dtP-e_A1hqIDEa3WtdG/s994/Meloni.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="994" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93SaiV7BhhFIOI896DDGpxwzIrL6-MwbnNdNRRWjtAtkBn_Xjya06ZCrdNOlgqale3oN7-cC6g74ZztkV2DNqOHH92Y2wbvhBODDoVLdG4U_1NMPOgLOLD4nDze8M32WCljVJyRvHXepVje1-m0fhehCTUkttnU4XOf05-dtP-e_A1hqIDEa3WtdG/w200-h117/Meloni.jpg" width="200" /></a>In Italy the right-wing coalition won the general election and formed the government. I don’t agree with their program, but I must say that Giorgia Meloni is good looking, elegant and charismatic. In her first speech addressed to the Italian Chamber of Deputies to obtain the confidence, she said reasonable things in a comprehensible straight language. She referred to women politicians such as Tina Anselmi, Nilde Jotti, and to other prominent Italian women such as Rita Levi Montalcini, Maria Montessori, Grazia Deledda, Oriana Fallaci, Ilaria Alpi, Mariagrazia Cutuli, Fabiola Giannotti and Marta Cartabia. Most of them were or are leftist. This doesn’t mean that her achievement is terrific, she is the first woman to hold the position as prime minister of Italy in a country where women are mainly considered as mothers, carers and lovers. Let’s see what she can do in this chaotic situation.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The good news is that Ukraine is gaining territories and Putin seems to be in trouble. King Charles III is doing well though we all miss the queen, who was an icon. I like his eco-friendly attitude and his flexibility. I think he had some difficult times in the past but he recovered well and gives the impression of being stable and in a good relationship with the Queen Consort Camilla.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqATvbY6ngTOpZHYbO-SDDKUs9Rx8AjunLWhgDx0hgza4YoRk7Lj5UZabZf53RYXBg90UhvqdNatXbANCZTarKwxtb0iArLxTsjjwIpGNv3TO_dMgDewI0U5GboI5FxEsI8C0MftL0Z29FWs85kU9EYsryPa2WuIB1PL58RQ2H3e0ZRiKwSDGTlai/s960/Charles%20and%20Camilla.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqATvbY6ngTOpZHYbO-SDDKUs9Rx8AjunLWhgDx0hgza4YoRk7Lj5UZabZf53RYXBg90UhvqdNatXbANCZTarKwxtb0iArLxTsjjwIpGNv3TO_dMgDewI0U5GboI5FxEsI8C0MftL0Z29FWs85kU9EYsryPa2WuIB1PL58RQ2H3e0ZRiKwSDGTlai/s320/Charles%20and%20Camilla.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Using the pulp of the pumpkin I carved for Halloween, I made a risotto with a soffritto (a mix of onion, carrot and celery finely diced and fried slowly in olive oil), then added the pumpkin pulp cut in cubes and some water, salt and pepper. I let it simmer until the pumpkin was soft and finally added the rice and some parsley. I served it with parmigiano. It was delicious. I also made a cake cooking the pumpkin pulp in water with three tbsp of demerara sugar. The ingredient for the cake are: three eggs, 150 g of sugar, 300 g of self-raising flour, three tbs of sunflower oil, one tsp of baking powder and ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUjtmqVJv-IrsJ9aqcGiuxP9ZVjRNS_3VxZCHYdgI4_gXEm9lmepBGea_EwqPuZ1lNoBI4R10Le9awOjrrIUx_x7EBVTjg_6HNso1b7tRLobk0LTFq7aCProdiNKpU456LTMly0698X4ojOB6GTb9V8vIx3eS9cccwWcBNwn1aOfw5pDXzARTdcll/s1000/pumpkin%20cake%20and%20leftovers.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUjtmqVJv-IrsJ9aqcGiuxP9ZVjRNS_3VxZCHYdgI4_gXEm9lmepBGea_EwqPuZ1lNoBI4R10Le9awOjrrIUx_x7EBVTjg_6HNso1b7tRLobk0LTFq7aCProdiNKpU456LTMly0698X4ojOB6GTb9V8vIx3eS9cccwWcBNwn1aOfw5pDXzARTdcll/w200-h150/pumpkin%20cake%20and%20leftovers.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />I blended the pumpkin and added it to the cake mixture and finally baked it in a greased cake tin at 180 C for half an hour. I turned 60 on the 5<sup>th</sup> of November, Guy Fawkes night. I made a cake with the same ingredients of the pumpkin cake but without the pumpkin pulp and filled and decorated it with buttercream and dark chocolate ganache. A real treat. At school they celebrated my birthday as well on the Friday together with Claire, the other TA, as we were born on the same day though she is thirty years younger than me. On the Saturday, my husband and I were too tired to go out to celebrate so we planned to have a cosy evening at home watching a film from Amazon Prime, and eating the creamy cake washed down with prosecco. I took it easy, I had my yoga class in the morning, attended a demonstration with the Woking Art Society and skyped with my daughter Valentina and my granddaughter Violetta in the afternoon.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkpkBpPBc4eJPtHx03bk_MOa3XQYXTG6JYPtf-hoDriqQWGY12HL-bEPmrbNPVlQQJ3GiVqqcj_1ivpn7fbIe17XmlnWQZBaZ3SugfnDSTSUWX_Mhyf7zcq0uveLDsx0jCX4OAlMV414sjCXkY0rZX08aH8ieI1E5U9Bk7nTHwA9ndx5Muitduhtp/s1000/birthday%20cake%205:11:2022.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkpkBpPBc4eJPtHx03bk_MOa3XQYXTG6JYPtf-hoDriqQWGY12HL-bEPmrbNPVlQQJ3GiVqqcj_1ivpn7fbIe17XmlnWQZBaZ3SugfnDSTSUWX_Mhyf7zcq0uveLDsx0jCX4OAlMV414sjCXkY0rZX08aH8ieI1E5U9Bk7nTHwA9ndx5Muitduhtp/s320/birthday%20cake%205:11:2022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am having some check-ups. Apparently one of my adrenaline glands produces too much hormone, which is called cortisol, that is affecting my bones, diabetes levels, cholesterol and high blood pressure, and maybe my crispy hair too. They might decide to remove it. On the whole, I feel fine. As an Italian commercial on laxative says ‘la felicità è andare in bagno’ (happiness is in bowel movements), which is quite diminishing, but certainly being in good health helps happiness.</span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-8989594696311953822022-10-16T23:49:00.004-07:002022-10-22T05:04:58.457-07:00Back to the UK<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__bHet0N__pEFHF6veSmHo3Pi99udSK_AgHFzHoK1doE2tNJD1hJ3d8GkRn2-C6zRU3xhyZ5mOP2AGt22KHyhsrHixJu_ouit2yli7Vmy-FUk25R-fUqu2454kuoTxtGFJScXqXrDT6JfZVfMC2IR0BkHJXm-0VNgilNwizEZWvRrBlDeQJUdgDEo/s1152/IMG_20220826_152518.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__bHet0N__pEFHF6veSmHo3Pi99udSK_AgHFzHoK1doE2tNJD1hJ3d8GkRn2-C6zRU3xhyZ5mOP2AGt22KHyhsrHixJu_ouit2yli7Vmy-FUk25R-fUqu2454kuoTxtGFJScXqXrDT6JfZVfMC2IR0BkHJXm-0VNgilNwizEZWvRrBlDeQJUdgDEo/s320/IMG_20220826_152518.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Coming back home, I had two weeks to catch up with house chores, visit some exhibitions and relax before starting the school year again. I applied to part-time jobs to support students at universities as I find a full-time job too tiring and it does not allow me enough time for my writing, painting and academic work. I had a zoom interview with UCL while I was in Italy (an ideal job, two days from home and one day on campus) but eventually I wasn’t selected. So I am back to The Park School, which is a nice place to work anyway. This year I am not following a class but I work one-to-one with a year 7 student. Going back to work was good, I met all my colleagues and we caught up on holidays and family. We had two inset days which were interesting and it was a relaxing way to start the year. As the students were not present, we were dressed in our favourite t-shirts, coloured jumpsuits, new shoes and flowery dresses. The school had been refurbished during the summer with new carpets and new furniture. The staff room had been repainted and has new sofas with bright cushions. We also have new photocopiers, and everything looks tidier and fresh.</span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg186PMkZHziBH-W-dgj_HmfZJacCC--ESJhA3_arDzJ8Zc7MaUN1nfYwBRsBsBFG8yuyABeIbEGuiPEUC5xxA7kbOMPsxkZdazHZBv98S2-A1hqBPRlo1xd2PAjiNV8yu760Jk8iNoN_NwTOZey0clQSXPGL8S56raRXtmRo1FO-7rhdFIFyBokCVO/s1000/IMG_20220827_154056.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg186PMkZHziBH-W-dgj_HmfZJacCC--ESJhA3_arDzJ8Zc7MaUN1nfYwBRsBsBFG8yuyABeIbEGuiPEUC5xxA7kbOMPsxkZdazHZBv98S2-A1hqBPRlo1xd2PAjiNV8yu760Jk8iNoN_NwTOZey0clQSXPGL8S56raRXtmRo1FO-7rhdFIFyBokCVO/w150-h200/IMG_20220827_154056.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">At the end of August I travelled north to see my sons and their families. The weather was bright and warm, I had a lovely time with Violetta in the garden. We played with pinwheels and collected pebbles. She loved my rings especially the glass ones and liked the photo of my PhD graduation. She points at it every time we have a video call and calls me ‘nonna’ (grandma). I visited Whitley Bay with my other son Francesco and his girlfriend Molly. It was such a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time chatting while walking in the sun. I am planning on meeting them again in October half term in Newcastle and visit the city together.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf4Xyte2fm-UcrD6C-eqJpULaIdxzxExFkDN3m9hykKjMOJjZtBHz3Y1_I25vcBtJLPVU9E04m0raoMYpdO9liGkhtbjSHGh_MFRV7anxDKGl1aHAPkNcmeUSA-47wg8_fP-Zm-NfhvD3Dl-BLw34MXc_H0W2Q7FxcIfYSCEwp5mb603-1sI1_X0U/s816/IMG_20220903_131704.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="816" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf4Xyte2fm-UcrD6C-eqJpULaIdxzxExFkDN3m9hykKjMOJjZtBHz3Y1_I25vcBtJLPVU9E04m0raoMYpdO9liGkhtbjSHGh_MFRV7anxDKGl1aHAPkNcmeUSA-47wg8_fP-Zm-NfhvD3Dl-BLw34MXc_H0W2Q7FxcIfYSCEwp5mb603-1sI1_X0U/w200-h150/IMG_20220903_131704.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">At the beginning of September I attended a fabulous poetry event, Tears in the Fence Festival, ‘Bewilderment / Be-wildered / Be wild’, at the Stourpaine Village Hall in Dorset. I met fellow poets I am in contact with and bought their new books that I am reading voraciously. The readings, interviews and performances were engrossing. Here is the link to my review of the event:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/?s=festival">https://tearsinthefence.com/?s=festival</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQzrOWudz9DZAzrFXm9SllUlcjKgqCbNSCMV4Oigp6h2kvwmES6E9Mzc2bj_n0ZK-eDQIdMt15HZsTVJM9a_a4cTo7MWJ8aUGivt9FooxljxDVPe5FEp2SwXNtJwLYNqGS7aBsESYnQtT3z2CLbpsRaYik1y5eP8-oDpqlqbcrk88q2Kk6jHfB4cH/s750/Valerie%20birthday.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQzrOWudz9DZAzrFXm9SllUlcjKgqCbNSCMV4Oigp6h2kvwmES6E9Mzc2bj_n0ZK-eDQIdMt15HZsTVJM9a_a4cTo7MWJ8aUGivt9FooxljxDVPe5FEp2SwXNtJwLYNqGS7aBsESYnQtT3z2CLbpsRaYik1y5eP8-oDpqlqbcrk88q2Kk6jHfB4cH/w200-h200/Valerie%20birthday.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">At the end of August I also had my friend Valerie’s birthday party. She is a poet and writer who lives in Guildford and is now 96, so we organised a gathering of friends and family at her house. There was a lot of good food and good wine too. I made the birthday cake, a sponge filled with cream and berries. My daughter Irene decorated the top with white sugar roses and silver sugar balls. Valerie was overjoyed and talked with all the guests. I visit her from time to time and we chat about our families and our writings. She is currently working on a novel set in Roman Britain though she feels tired most of the day and can work only in the morning.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWnvYMRgiUPsZvi3cEE04AxuaDQlOQ5rI-MKYjUjF_MLwG1lnmDaoeMSTGzKlCEQiPS4RW7FzXa1WTR9dcdo0Cl01ahVG0RAgawkjSHhNwDJ1epjeuYVuBW25cvXwQ536WjGOLQ_V6qf6W5tV73Sk2Bui9IrI1rax3EPkNnTcvnKrjZjQfWETVljk/s1000/self-portrait%2017:08:22.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWnvYMRgiUPsZvi3cEE04AxuaDQlOQ5rI-MKYjUjF_MLwG1lnmDaoeMSTGzKlCEQiPS4RW7FzXa1WTR9dcdo0Cl01ahVG0RAgawkjSHhNwDJ1epjeuYVuBW25cvXwQ536WjGOLQ_V6qf6W5tV73Sk2Bui9IrI1rax3EPkNnTcvnKrjZjQfWETVljk/w150-h200/self-portrait%2017:08:22.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In Trafalgar Square the National Gallery organised the Summer on the Square free sessions again. You could sit, use an easel or a board and sketch a drawing taking inspiration from a picture, use a mirror to make a self-portrait or just draw what was around you. Chunky pencils and oil pastels were available as well as graphite sticks, charcoal and all kinds of pencils. I made a self-portrait and spent most of the time watching children around me drawing their incredible original pieces from famous pictures of the National Gallery collection. Their interpretations were so spontaneous, colourful and absolutely unique. In London I also visited some exhibitions and reviewed them: ‘Africa Fashion’ at the V&A and ‘Lubaina Himid’ at Tate Modern. Here are the links to my reviews:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YQMNZwlDPzR6ySdEd8ermQL4qQt_W0JFDREwVIJy4rcTkCeo9J0Zy8DihpasDTht8y29LbN-vdtkyrzNoHyS7_OnpqdYP_gAMZWYAbDBNnmfMvYmUiNyXpStGN_KtR2dJYgZIv4pXssZ2UfEX8U44O8YgCGR70Unrd1gu1yghMYlT5CCePHNo0Tx/s1000/IMG_20220817_123450.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YQMNZwlDPzR6ySdEd8ermQL4qQt_W0JFDREwVIJy4rcTkCeo9J0Zy8DihpasDTht8y29LbN-vdtkyrzNoHyS7_OnpqdYP_gAMZWYAbDBNnmfMvYmUiNyXpStGN_KtR2dJYgZIv4pXssZ2UfEX8U44O8YgCGR70Unrd1gu1yghMYlT5CCePHNo0Tx/w150-h200/IMG_20220817_123450.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/africa-fashion-va-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/africa-fashion-va-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/lubaina-himid-tate-modern-review-by-carla-scarano/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/09/lubaina-himid-tate-modern-review-by-carla-scarano/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWCNNlmE5NdgzMDLl_yso94wOFSYg9bc6E6eeiSBHeQWLF20Muo8wyHYiPuQKUnlPFDM7WRipHuVI5iiZJ9gmMQzdwwTtrhUlawr5s_tuWzDqZMbqqb_uvYf6JewPYSCwPLZ_QmRD7DXi6J-lU91ZPGSc_a9VP57W__KSrXm2tJzqjwyemWZs-vFB/s1000/IMG_20220910_171333.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWCNNlmE5NdgzMDLl_yso94wOFSYg9bc6E6eeiSBHeQWLF20Muo8wyHYiPuQKUnlPFDM7WRipHuVI5iiZJ9gmMQzdwwTtrhUlawr5s_tuWzDqZMbqqb_uvYf6JewPYSCwPLZ_QmRD7DXi6J-lU91ZPGSc_a9VP57W__KSrXm2tJzqjwyemWZs-vFB/w150-h200/IMG_20220910_171333.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I also had the chance to visit the Senate House which is near the British Museum. I was invited to an open reception with delicious, amazing food and a guided tour around the magnificent edifice. I didn’t know that the Senate House is a popular destination for films and TV snapshots such as Crown, Bodyguard, Miss Marple and Nineteen-Eighty-Four. I loved the stained-glass window with the coat of arms and the map of the universities of London in the Senate room. In a corridor there were also some drawings by David Hockney. There is a ghost story linked to one of the lifts of the house. One of the principal officers died tragically in a lift when some material fell on him. He shouldn’t have been on site as some works were being carried out. Of course, the lift in not in use now.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mh9xIswGDLaqixhSHLeIoL18Y5zUmXQMUg9FPeZ_9j6FSLqruWg0Dj8lvPXepjnODU1xvOX5-YdcO80uMSNZ30VXTGYOp-QsGi1_H33RaWcKWlBP9FyQ_IGQlSSy9_q2iY_25mTxym9XXp8d90j9xXxaqz3qtcACGzhbWILVkQxjJ1H3WLy-1mTi/s1440/IMG_20221008_103000_560.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mh9xIswGDLaqixhSHLeIoL18Y5zUmXQMUg9FPeZ_9j6FSLqruWg0Dj8lvPXepjnODU1xvOX5-YdcO80uMSNZ30VXTGYOp-QsGi1_H33RaWcKWlBP9FyQ_IGQlSSy9_q2iY_25mTxym9XXp8d90j9xXxaqz3qtcACGzhbWILVkQxjJ1H3WLy-1mTi/w200-h200/IMG_20221008_103000_560.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In October I took part in the Chobham Art and Music Festival attending a concert at St. Lawrence parish church, ‘Paris 1778’, featuring three famous musicians associated with Paris, that is, Mozart, Haydn and Saint George. I enjoyed the whole night and was enthralled by the music floating in the soft light of the church. I had never heard Saint George’s music before. He was the son of a French aristocrat and a slave girl. He was educated in France and composed a large number of music pieces, concertos, operas, symphonies, arias and sonatas. He was a director as well, a celebrity of his day. I took part in the Art and Craft fair too on the 8<sup>th</sup> of October at Chobham Village Hall with my art, textile and crochet works. Some of my pieces were purchased and I also had commissions for more works. A few days later one of my pictures was selected for the exhibition of the Woking Art Society at The Lightbox in Woking, which will be on from the 11<sup>th</sup> to the 23<sup>rd</sup> of October. I wasn’t selected last year and I am so glad that this year I made it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ORk0euuJjikUrR5n6Q5D_xL0rdUcGZmXxvvU4taTAtDHmJwxZLVly51PnIrtA6tvN3qGlv7lmPSNWYx9s7po4VEwUBolI7eqFt6H3WCwzknkVFtyfZaMTFhXSCi7FqvIOUWMXi7M3LV8TnKtoQZqgnlbPdN62vz1PSFJEZ2IVb55V_RvHvoB-44z/s1407/cluster%20pines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1407" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ORk0euuJjikUrR5n6Q5D_xL0rdUcGZmXxvvU4taTAtDHmJwxZLVly51PnIrtA6tvN3qGlv7lmPSNWYx9s7po4VEwUBolI7eqFt6H3WCwzknkVFtyfZaMTFhXSCi7FqvIOUWMXi7M3LV8TnKtoQZqgnlbPdN62vz1PSFJEZ2IVb55V_RvHvoB-44z/s320/cluster%20pines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At The Lightbox there was also the final exhibition of The Vision Project</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxXoSx5UqXYSF9BiSROI6gyUxuamdZ76kLhFooBe_oJ7lHB0DKF07wnuHuigxmLkfqEgnLs2lAG3nxwXyk-5T0A-Kmx2hEDvhzqlDvcNaS16i7rO5tn4Walxk_b8JUDTH1QvvYn_gbiyP3PdsvO8z2Z7GX8vpBdA3AglgMwQGez4hDm6QXx_uWfTk/s1136/Vision%20project%208%20Oct.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="912" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxXoSx5UqXYSF9BiSROI6gyUxuamdZ76kLhFooBe_oJ7lHB0DKF07wnuHuigxmLkfqEgnLs2lAG3nxwXyk-5T0A-Kmx2hEDvhzqlDvcNaS16i7rO5tn4Walxk_b8JUDTH1QvvYn_gbiyP3PdsvO8z2Z7GX8vpBdA3AglgMwQGez4hDm6QXx_uWfTk/w161-h200/Vision%20project%208%20Oct.jpg" width="161" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> (<a href="https://www.thevisionproject.co.uk/"><span class="s3" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.thevisionproject.co.uk/</span></a> ). Last June I wrote about it here:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/06/21/the-vision-project-how-a-lockdown-idea-to-help-people-connect-just-grew-and-grew/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/06/21/the-vision-project-how-a-lockdown-idea-to-help-people-connect-just-grew-and-grew/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This time they wrapped up all the activities: music, dancing, paintings and poetry. The beautiful poem by Greg Freeman inspired by his wife Gillian’s painting of a cornfield particularly moved me. Here are the poem and the picture:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyPOZIBE7LozQntqomVrAwGvBJJzKeTZjjMJxfhCYiQ9KY_La-Xcwfrlhi75XQpDZkjMJkc-hxtX0oDVPesWQpQeI2QAp_RtHIEY5iysp747hcSSysC3hMy5pxh7sD5MttyRVHZLJWSVV3YJUZryT3Gay4yhmLHxXdk7BqDsJ2TxZX_vhQfl4Afpe/s2048/'Cornfield'%20by%20Gillian%20Freeman%20.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyPOZIBE7LozQntqomVrAwGvBJJzKeTZjjMJxfhCYiQ9KY_La-Xcwfrlhi75XQpDZkjMJkc-hxtX0oDVPesWQpQeI2QAp_RtHIEY5iysp747hcSSysC3hMy5pxh7sD5MttyRVHZLJWSVV3YJUZryT3Gay4yhmLHxXdk7BqDsJ2TxZX_vhQfl4Afpe/s320/'Cornfield'%20by%20Gillian%20Freeman%20.jpg" width="229" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THIS GARDEN<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We’ll be leaving this garden before too long,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">saying farewell to the lazy foxes</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">that sun themselves by the summer house,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">deer that venture in from the woods beyond,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">occasional badger, evening jungle of birdsong.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yellow iris flag up the canal close by.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This place has always been nature’s, not ours.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bamboo, brambles, ground elder lead us</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a merry dance. But nothing wrong.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The mower with only three wheels</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">still chugs along, except when it cuts out.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fresh evidence of our resident mole,</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">owl and woodpecker in the woods.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The cat lives mostly outdoors, calls in</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">for meals, or to show us her foraging,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">mostly mice or shrews. The old shed</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">nearly killed me when I swung a hammer,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">knocked it down. Or maybe saved me,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">gave a second chance. This place has been</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a refuge for so long. Always thought<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">we’d remain. Now somewhere else is calling.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Time for others to enjoy. Time to begin again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Greg Freeman</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is also the link to the film and the documentary:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.thevisionproject.co.uk/film" target="_blank">https://www.thevisionproject.co.uk/film </a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Vision project will carry on with a Vision Project 2 with more art, dancing, writing, film, music and songs for everyone.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Reading Greg’s poem also reminded me of his departure. He is moving to Northumberland with Gillian to be near their son who lives in Newcastle. We will probably visit them as I often travel north to see my sons. We will all miss him in Woking as he hosted the Write Out Loud open mic on zoom and at The Lightbox and is the editor of WOL website too. In our September meeting of the Woking Writers Circle we celebrated his birthday and also his last attendance as he will be already in Northumberland for our next gathering. Rodney and Greg proposed for me to take over Greg’s role as co-compare for the WOL open mic. I am glad to do it and hope to be up to the role that they performed so well, entertaining and involving the audience with their witty poems and cracking jokes. Rodney also proposed me to take over his role as Woking Stanza prep, that is, the person who organises the Stanza, a poetry society group that meets regularly to discuss poetry. I will do it probably starting from next January on zoom.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeVblh7ptCxDOD2wT7AZyb7uWuUOtKrSmzxMvVVttaiotngFKNI0ZoqgAzZlDgJ8JcPC5HFy_NidLmTjjHBb8ZSrcqLKhOTCdVzAE2PX_gX5dMIRoHXfGBte7P-_j6hJwAmrkBv9-cmjuYyMkmpwJHLF8QVzjcpS_AisAYt9G4lkWk-vkW2jdDAI9/s3014/WWC_image5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1858" data-original-width="3014" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeVblh7ptCxDOD2wT7AZyb7uWuUOtKrSmzxMvVVttaiotngFKNI0ZoqgAzZlDgJ8JcPC5HFy_NidLmTjjHBb8ZSrcqLKhOTCdVzAE2PX_gX5dMIRoHXfGBte7P-_j6hJwAmrkBv9-cmjuYyMkmpwJHLF8QVzjcpS_AisAYt9G4lkWk-vkW2jdDAI9/s320/WWC_image5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At the end of September I had a fantastic Maddogyoga retreat at a youth hostel in Totland in the Isle of Wight with my yoga group. I am writing a piece about it including all the exercising, activities and good food we had in the 4-day trip. It was an exciting and rejuvenating experience that made me feel fit and happy. I felt accepted and valued in the community and the connections we created during the retreat. We had walks together, helped each other in clearing up and setting dinner and had long relaxing chats about our worries and joys. We had great fun too, delicious dinners exceptional cakes and even a game night and a fancy-dress party. Shena Grigor, our yoga instructor, was entertaining and professional as ever. I read poems at the beginning and end of each yoga session which I collected from online magazines and printed them in a booklet. It was an enthralling experience I wish to repeat.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUYyr64mvHepkRcEgarw418z3_CLqHcb1IKBWr3Z-5k2OhlDf7C1gcNv_3Rk1VXmjaThurRNqDMdN0LyNqFkBxmujhR2YqagWsO1EajNuZJEq79N0F5HO86tK22LDwVN8UcSBrRIz-W63Z7eshyTX072n9FWQm9YLftG8PC_iEdd_3DZr61dFx1LP/s1023/IMG-20220925-WA0021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="1023" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUYyr64mvHepkRcEgarw418z3_CLqHcb1IKBWr3Z-5k2OhlDf7C1gcNv_3Rk1VXmjaThurRNqDMdN0LyNqFkBxmujhR2YqagWsO1EajNuZJEq79N0F5HO86tK22LDwVN8UcSBrRIz-W63Z7eshyTX072n9FWQm9YLftG8PC_iEdd_3DZr61dFx1LP/s320/IMG-20220925-WA0021.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Two anthologies launch happened in September and October, <i>Poems for Ukraine: An Anthology by Poetry Performance</i>, edited by Annie Havell, and <i>Finding our Voices: Write Out Loud Woking: The First Six Years 2016-2022</i>, edited by Rodney Wood and Greg Freeman. I attended the launch of the Ukraine anthology at the Willoughby Arms and read two poems, ‘I have something to say about crochet’ and ‘Monitoring my body’, though they are not included in this anthology. Here is the link to a review and how to order a copy of this significant collection that speaks honestly about the devastating conflict:</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=124200&fbclid=IwAR1pS_argKzminUTrMQsgLeoDTlOa7t7NQHtuP7Dvxi8Z-2O2tx9WEv2r04"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=124200&fbclid=IwAR1pS_argKzminUTrMQsgLeoDTlOa7t7NQHtuP7Dvxi8Z-2O2tx9WEv2r04</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIdVVmO44jMT_6DanAeo8IgVLYHuAHaFiIbEN-fGuYIz6FXg38GyItWbz2WbcmG5fVAZNeuMYEpviDB2MMLQKFO38OkdZCXlyd712wWFqDU75MssToj3ov9Z-u_4nFyRcBF1FTKgPl5n7cpOaiCv3AYCpPO7Z6Y53oZFytyj8z5zEl7izwjnNmy51/s990/poems%20for%20Ukraine.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="990" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIdVVmO44jMT_6DanAeo8IgVLYHuAHaFiIbEN-fGuYIz6FXg38GyItWbz2WbcmG5fVAZNeuMYEpviDB2MMLQKFO38OkdZCXlyd712wWFqDU75MssToj3ov9Z-u_4nFyRcBF1FTKgPl5n7cpOaiCv3AYCpPO7Z6Y53oZFytyj8z5zEl7izwjnNmy51/w200-h178/poems%20for%20Ukraine.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here is my favourite poem from the collection:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE TROUBLE WITH WAR</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The trouble with war –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It distracts me from vital things<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">like my phone charger and blusher.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I don’t know about this strange country<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">that sits vulnerably next to Russia.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The trouble with war –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">are the Ukraine flag colours</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">that clash with my two piece</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and my new designer shoes,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDHK8IDDqPPJ2sYYWtoGy3q-6JEhx_GwGODgpe9dNvkakbELAS2eOEyaFpxidmusQ3-0tElBHDmZPGWDVPwKGKXVgUSFKQjUmcI28LhMCJzXuAObnylR3i3NvCHxo2r36fuJdRNAyLiNglNYCUz_gxO4XFFjZ5AE2oaMBPZlV7Vkp5fL3zYi8QES-/s1440/263354747_10160422878821874_6154159713133927718_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDHK8IDDqPPJ2sYYWtoGy3q-6JEhx_GwGODgpe9dNvkakbELAS2eOEyaFpxidmusQ3-0tElBHDmZPGWDVPwKGKXVgUSFKQjUmcI28LhMCJzXuAObnylR3i3NvCHxo2r36fuJdRNAyLiNglNYCUz_gxO4XFFjZ5AE2oaMBPZlV7Vkp5fL3zYi8QES-/s320/263354747_10160422878821874_6154159713133927718_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m not properly attired for peace</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The trouble with war –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">inconvenienced by casualties,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and devastation and outrage</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in the broadsheets and The Sun.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Please kindly leave the page</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The trouble with war –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">families have to flee for safety</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">from bombs falling out the sky.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Filing my nails, I catch myself saying<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">there but for the grace of God go I!</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Heather Moulson<br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Finding our Voices</i> celebrates Write Out Loud’s open mics and zoom meetings in which the poets of Woking and Guildford areas, and further afield on zoom, have met to read their poetry, shared their ideas and their books and connected to one another, which is what we really need. We had the zoom launch of the anthology last Wednesday and there will be the launch at The Lightbox in Woking on Thursday 27<sup>th</sup> of October at 8 pm. I meet regularly with most of the poets featured in the anthology, either online, on Facebook or in person. The poems are rich and diverse and express the inclusive, multi-faceted and entertaining spirit that Greg and Rodney promoted in the past six years. As they remark in the introduction, ‘We’ve called this anthology Finding our Voices, to try and encapsulate the founding principles we believe in about open mic poetry – that it should be open to all, that it can help people express themselves, develop self-confidence, exorcise demons, share stories.’ The cover picture is from a painting by Geoffrey Pimlott, a friend, fellow poet and renowned painter. Here are some links to his work:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tK__qIdNXWfWb4t_fyRZS2YxT6wdi8RrWBR7YvOgF77JLbGMy9lLri26vcjyoRYALUJ0Mq25HQ-y8QEKvtpQ-qp688NYKoKypGKBE24SbP3ex_ST9kpD0SVnEaj5GPMdiFI59VxnL7fRXmJ9Em2OqOYgdAHRc9CFbTa1W4YLsz7RZb3rACmEQa8v/s2048/cover%20Finding%20our%20voices.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="2048" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tK__qIdNXWfWb4t_fyRZS2YxT6wdi8RrWBR7YvOgF77JLbGMy9lLri26vcjyoRYALUJ0Mq25HQ-y8QEKvtpQ-qp688NYKoKypGKBE24SbP3ex_ST9kpD0SVnEaj5GPMdiFI59VxnL7fRXmJ9Em2OqOYgdAHRc9CFbTa1W4YLsz7RZb3rACmEQa8v/s320/cover%20Finding%20our%20voices.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.banksidegallery.com/artists/111-geoffrey-pimlott-rws/works/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.banksidegallery.com/artists/111-geoffrey-pimlott-rws/works/</span></a></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/artists/93-geoffrey-pimlott/biography/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/artists/93-geoffrey-pimlott/biography/</span></a></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.saatchiart.com/account/profile/389263">https://www.saatchiart.com/account/profile/389263</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The anthology can be purchased on Amazon here:</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/FINDING-OUR-VOICES-WOKING-2016-2022/dp/B0BCXVL3YV/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3RQ1UQVWYE064&keywords=write+out+loud+anthology&qid=1665598849&sprefix=write+out+loud+anthology%2Caps%2C60&sr=8-5"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/FINDING-OUR-VOICES-WOKING-2016-2022/dp/B0BCXVL3YV/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3RQ1UQVWYE064&keywords=write+out+loud+anthology&qid=1665598849&sprefix=write+out+loud+anthology%2Caps%2C60&sr=8-5</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here is my poem featured in <i>Finding our Voices</i>:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">IN PRAISE OF RICE</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To my husband</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You stir the carnaroli rice in the pot with a wooden spoon.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The rice is overcooked, it thickens</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in the receding boiling water.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You remove it from the hob and keep stirring</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">until the grains look fat enough,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">ripe and glued one to the other.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You scoop small portions in bowls for me and our daughter,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">then eat it straight from the pot</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">adding in plenty of olive oil and parmigiano,</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">mixing, savouring,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">heaven in your eyes.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Carla Scarano D’Antonio</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My collection <i>Workwear</i> is ready. I have copies of the book at home and I have already sent some of them to friends and family. The launch will be probably at the end of November but I have asked my webmaster to prepare a webpage for my website before the launch. The book is already on sale at The Lionsheart bookshop in the centre of Woking, 67 Commercial Way, GU21 6HN (<a href="https://www.lionsheartbookshop.co.uk/"><span class="s3" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.lionsheartbookshop.co.uk/</span></a> ). It will be on The High Window Press website too (<a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/the-high-window-press/"><span class="s3" style="color: #0563c1;">https://thehighwindowpress.com/the-high-window-press/</span></a> ). Some of my fellow poets are also writing reviews of my new collection which I will post on social media and add the links on my website.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The apple harvest season has been abundant. Free apples have come from friends and neighbours, so I am cooking and baking apple recipes every other day. Here is a special apple cake one that one of my husband’s aunts, zia Angela, gave me. She has a wood-burning oven and maybe this is the reason why her pizza, biscuits and cakes come out so perfect. But she is also a good cook.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVB5mdF7N75JSsXfqYuEGkaKSTSAEulY6mEINVQbClpvU8aThc8TTbpa29nABm1AXcBXQJCnl3Q_w1r-FBGb0yKpaHE1LIZjYCodiF4AJpCKRvLSdKC06nrFRoo7swLntrx_wnCCggpmPe2eyxfB5_Ql-WdEOydgCqgHusZDcSLcEEZOoCDfFLkK6/s360/the%20perfect%20apple%20pie.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="360" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVB5mdF7N75JSsXfqYuEGkaKSTSAEulY6mEINVQbClpvU8aThc8TTbpa29nABm1AXcBXQJCnl3Q_w1r-FBGb0yKpaHE1LIZjYCodiF4AJpCKRvLSdKC06nrFRoo7swLntrx_wnCCggpmPe2eyxfB5_Ql-WdEOydgCqgHusZDcSLcEEZOoCDfFLkK6/s320/the%20perfect%20apple%20pie.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The perfect apple cake</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 350 g of self-raising flour, three eggs, 200 g of sugar, 1 and ½ tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda, ½ glass of milk, 4 tbsp of olive oil, grated zest of a lemon, four apples, the juice of a lemon.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wFlrWpMIdh9udIdm1WUzV2_lnPggUuQj5feaVAd3ul0wGqHvjur0wr5U_slqPIxRNXwFNDpwtWeCtaEwvhShAGoTO-ymu4xlHDvA2nzNEAEnC4EmaS_Dtu-RTRys_1XNmh6bXZRYeU7pvxlQgHMJzVDBwTfxZkjNrZAAOT0t1yjzDLhkHkhGjeuS/s1440/FfGm3eoX0AE5sbX.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wFlrWpMIdh9udIdm1WUzV2_lnPggUuQj5feaVAd3ul0wGqHvjur0wr5U_slqPIxRNXwFNDpwtWeCtaEwvhShAGoTO-ymu4xlHDvA2nzNEAEnC4EmaS_Dtu-RTRys_1XNmh6bXZRYeU7pvxlQgHMJzVDBwTfxZkjNrZAAOT0t1yjzDLhkHkhGjeuS/w200-h200/FfGm3eoX0AE5sbX.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Cut the apples, two of them in cubes and two in slices. Add the juice of a lemon and two tbsp of sugar. In a large bowl beat the eggs with the sugar add the rest of the ingredients and the apples cut in cubes. Pour the mixture in a greased cake tin and decorate the top with the apples cut in slices. Bake at 180 C for 45 minutes.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have also realised that my name appeared in three articles on the Woking News & Mail (13th October 2022) regarding my pumpkin post-box crochet installation, my stall at Chobham Festival Art and Craft fair and my taking over as co-compare for WOL open mic. Incredible! I hardly believe it is happening. <span style="color: red;">😄<br /></span></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-24520897933708763062022-10-01T02:23:00.002-07:002022-10-02T00:14:57.942-07:00August in Rome with my mum <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUaJUAx1Rp-hW6J6oIxMpM_4dmbKYKjljqk7t0huLo8-nAfdyA1JHNEQdHrBoIz4Yq_pSwdnKDyKQmA6ATkXqjM2fTT9eMFGmz7HT-_NQKZlWhLfTLXv6ynEXemnhFPcv1QLyIalrqS3KRp0E5HHbc9DMdx5Z7OH-sHEov89ctdKSyH2KbaOHEdvV/s800/IMG_20220727_100114_509.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUaJUAx1Rp-hW6J6oIxMpM_4dmbKYKjljqk7t0huLo8-nAfdyA1JHNEQdHrBoIz4Yq_pSwdnKDyKQmA6ATkXqjM2fTT9eMFGmz7HT-_NQKZlWhLfTLXv6ynEXemnhFPcv1QLyIalrqS3KRp0E5HHbc9DMdx5Z7OH-sHEov89ctdKSyH2KbaOHEdvV/s320/IMG_20220727_100114_509.webp" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">So many things happened since I came back from Italy, not only the sad passing of the Queen, I wrote about in this blog, a piece which has been published in Woking Writers Circle’s website too (</span><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/09/17/she-fulfilled-her-promise-to-dedicate-her-life-to-the-service-of-the-nation-an-old-fashioned-vow-perhaps-but-she-kept-it-until-the-end/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/09/17/she-fulfilled-her-promise-to-dedicate-her-life-to-the-service-of-the-nation-an-old-fashioned-vow-perhaps-but-she-kept-it-until-the-end/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ), but also the new PM, Liz Truss, and the disappointing results of the Italian general election (see a perceptive analysis here: </span><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/im-a-woman-im-a-mother-im-christian-how-giorgia-meloni-took-control-in-the-italian-election?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker&utm_social-type=earned" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/im-a-woman-im-a-mother-im-christian-how-giorgia-meloni-took-control-in-the-italian-election?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker&utm_social-type=earned</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ). Destructive flooding has affected Pakistan and Italy too. I will post my opinions soon but here are some thoughts about my time with my mum during the summer.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsBVbITJkqdvgPlTf-uPYcZxtHB6vvrZeIgPtyQyb-AudFHLp1jI8n9O2_YAXcszfl595CuG3-hEVcIKnLTw5lHgTZqxophi_brhq5Qk2ygx0k0_BR_uIXmV1CSPHYuY2emMDmUHJTpyo04QGx07XfLfS9n8s1-djwnioa9x2tnUUDoYCYBpDn_VR/s1000/IMG_20220919_123849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsBVbITJkqdvgPlTf-uPYcZxtHB6vvrZeIgPtyQyb-AudFHLp1jI8n9O2_YAXcszfl595CuG3-hEVcIKnLTw5lHgTZqxophi_brhq5Qk2ygx0k0_BR_uIXmV1CSPHYuY2emMDmUHJTpyo04QGx07XfLfS9n8s1-djwnioa9x2tnUUDoYCYBpDn_VR/s320/IMG_20220919_123849.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In Rome it was hot, sometimes unbearably hot, unbelievably hot, boiling. I thought I was living in an oven when we were outside. Inside we had to shut the windows just after 11 am and could not open them again before 7.30 pm. The air was stuffing, only fans and air conditioning could ease the situation a bit. Sweating tickled all over my body and my clothes were constantly damp. My mind refused to keep awake from time to time especially in the warmest moments of the day. Besides we had to wear face masks on public transports which didn’t help. However, I must say I had a good time with my mum. It wasn’t my ideal holiday but I spent a lot of time with her and had a good rest. It was a forced rest but a luxurious time too. I had plenty of leisure time to read, write and chat with her and her friends. We visited her neighbours and met her friends at the giardinetto, a patch of grass in the shade, sitting on plastic chairs and sipping cold tea in the late evenings. Her friends speak a lot about their families, their past and how much life has changed since they were young. Covid and various illnesses were among the top arguments and sometimes they cracked a joke.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My mum is fine on the whole but I found her slimmer as she was eating less because of the heat. Her carer, Ina, is nice and helpful with her. She does all the cleaning and helped us with the shopping at the supermarket. My mum is a good cook; she makes simple and tasty Italian food but she is becoming a bit lazy lately, so I helped her. We made pomodori col riso (tomatoes stuffed with rice), pasta e fagioli, caprese and frittata with zucchini. She made her special tomato sauce and minestrone. Apart from a bit of cooking I did not have house chores, ironing or washing up to do, so I had a real rest. I helped my mum with some bills at the post office and fixed a problem with a card she had lost. We went shopping together visiting all the nice shops in her area. I bought two new necklaces, a crochet handbag that copies Fendi patterns, beads, key rings and coloured paper at a shop kept by Chinese people where everything is cheaper, and a lot of wool and cotton yarns for my crochet projects. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGYk8hirRyDbRYSPo4T7HqHVipdctraU8S_BWQgyWXuCeKbX947YB7sBOGFDGj-bONRbarLLzH3wT7QI5ZtPYGjDxAPt2Wc9lvEk53EUzucmvQG3jXy36I5EcWElulYc9kVo7wXNd3mqGkVsfF5kSsZf6whQyitL34Ku_5VX6zWs3BMkujDp7j7NM/s1000/IMG_20221001_101255.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGYk8hirRyDbRYSPo4T7HqHVipdctraU8S_BWQgyWXuCeKbX947YB7sBOGFDGj-bONRbarLLzH3wT7QI5ZtPYGjDxAPt2Wc9lvEk53EUzucmvQG3jXy36I5EcWElulYc9kVo7wXNd3mqGkVsfF5kSsZf6whQyitL34Ku_5VX6zWs3BMkujDp7j7NM/w200-h150/IMG_20221001_101255.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />I made some crochet mandalas (or potholders as my mum calls them) and crochet charms while I was watching TV in the evening. She gave me some good advice about matching colours and what kind of pattern to choose. We watched Il commisario Ricciardi, Miss Marple and In Onda, a programme on Italian politics on La7. I watched the final of the Women’s Euro 2022, of course, enjoyed all of it and cheered when the Lionesses finally won. Their performance was inspirational, a great boost for women’s football and for women’s sports in general. Millions of people followed the match from all over the world celebrating their astonishing victory. I especially liked Alessia Russo’s backheel goal and Beth Mead’s incredible numbers of goals. A great achievement!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigE_dfDdMTqQjVjVEFHok09lkeqUO8pwV8VH9Au987OlTO5aQ1K7_xhuww_P83iIRZmNkXBq9xZ8lYWP32UtRMVS7hC5SQWHWWKfI33mxYiSnvTw62cDoM01k29UI3Bv9qD8RbEvYJDhkSePOdpBJ8h9XJjol0i5R4_Bd2SCUvbawJhmvjBjPoUins/s1200/England%20women%202022.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigE_dfDdMTqQjVjVEFHok09lkeqUO8pwV8VH9Au987OlTO5aQ1K7_xhuww_P83iIRZmNkXBq9xZ8lYWP32UtRMVS7hC5SQWHWWKfI33mxYiSnvTw62cDoM01k29UI3Bv9qD8RbEvYJDhkSePOdpBJ8h9XJjol0i5R4_Bd2SCUvbawJhmvjBjPoUins/s320/England%20women%202022.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Most of the crochet work I made in Italy was for charity. I gave it to a friend of my mum who organises charity markets for the parish church and also made some more to give to friends. The pieces are very colourful and I must say they were very much appreciated. Before leaving for Italy I put on a sunflower installation on the post box near Tesco in Chobham and am planning a new installation for Halloween. In Italy I also had time to read some books and wrote some art and poetry reviews. Luckily, I solved the internet problem I had had in Italy in the past as my internet data with Vodafone expired very quickly. Now I have a new contract with O2 that gives me much more data so I could browse online</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oCVNVt_-qZSC0eG6hvf8MrnHpcbUZ-pt--5vsY1GVw2WeT9FXTrEIEiUFRaJE9XmsO-6Fdj4hw86yAwV7tzHY0kVCJdYxs5TKgaPzwVNOClpElDeHdvHzkswzCossnlGiBsK58hzUEtopAiud8roekQFLrYsQXTab7cKgakQeHXa5Ik3F-9cbUYp/s960/girasole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oCVNVt_-qZSC0eG6hvf8MrnHpcbUZ-pt--5vsY1GVw2WeT9FXTrEIEiUFRaJE9XmsO-6Fdj4hw86yAwV7tzHY0kVCJdYxs5TKgaPzwVNOClpElDeHdvHzkswzCossnlGiBsK58hzUEtopAiud8roekQFLrYsQXTab7cKgakQeHXa5Ik3F-9cbUYp/w200-h150/girasole.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> newspapers, connect to social media and check and send emails every day. I painted too, only flowers in watercolours, obsessed with Wisley Gardens I had visited before leaving. I gave a few to friends but kept some of them for the coming exhibitions and fairs. I have an Art Fair at Chobham Village Hall on Saturday the 8<sup>th</sup> of October which is part of Chobham Festival and on the 26<sup>th</sup> and 27<sup>th</sup> of November at The Lightbox. Here are the links:</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2TuKibVqXW-FOys6O8gs6EnqP7NRDQOynlPbQGiIIW9R5oD0tf_QZXlSRcmRKyXZnTGBQrFZ4EzC4bS5huTFZidj-eYPAzMtpyQ5SD7a6_pK0K_IfLZMnBuoKyx1g2RNJX1s6mJP6241h4uzEllFR_CsbQUKVun0UCIfXKK9wTtjEhfSUTb0tvf7/s1000/IMG_20220730_065041.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2TuKibVqXW-FOys6O8gs6EnqP7NRDQOynlPbQGiIIW9R5oD0tf_QZXlSRcmRKyXZnTGBQrFZ4EzC4bS5huTFZidj-eYPAzMtpyQ5SD7a6_pK0K_IfLZMnBuoKyx1g2RNJX1s6mJP6241h4uzEllFR_CsbQUKVun0UCIfXKK9wTtjEhfSUTb0tvf7/s320/IMG_20220730_065041.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://festival.chobham.org/product/art-and-crafts-show/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://festival.chobham.org/product/art-and-crafts-show/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="http://festival.chobham.org/artworks/"><span style="font-size: medium;">http://festival.chobham.org/artworks/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thelightbox.org.uk/Event/winter-craft-fair-2022saturday"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.thelightbox.org.uk/Event/winter-craft-fair-2022saturday</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thelightbox.org.uk/Event/winter-craft-fair-sunday"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.thelightbox.org.uk/Event/winter-craft-fair-sunday</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I will be there with my paintings, crochet, textiles, jewellery, cards and books. Besides my self-published pamphlet, <i>A Winding Road</i> (2011), and my first collection, <i>Negotiating Caponata </i>(2020), I have a new book: <i>Workwear</i>, published by The High Window. It is not officially out yet until the middle of November but I already have some copies. My daughter made the painting for the front cover which I think is brilliant and reflects perfectly the spirit of the poems of the collection. The book launch will be on zoom at a certain point, probably at the end of November. The book will be publicised on The High Window website and on my website as well and there will be a PayPal button to purchase a copy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8yLJ4cLkVbG8kDOiWKQ6DAvzRwkfhyRmmMlPThNABRPjYUxGlzmfpSQJaD7Q_V5QY2igh_cwH2jLGHtLq9lQhrtnfDpia3TDynAAq9VW3oMseMYD7OQ7VimdPd8GVe_X6PlJt9pe3Dk85ndbJI5P-oTIHMD8nyUYQ-JXJle7qCRgCOlhPoTdhhg3/s9921/WORKWEAR%20A5%20front%20cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9921" data-original-width="6992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8yLJ4cLkVbG8kDOiWKQ6DAvzRwkfhyRmmMlPThNABRPjYUxGlzmfpSQJaD7Q_V5QY2igh_cwH2jLGHtLq9lQhrtnfDpia3TDynAAq9VW3oMseMYD7OQ7VimdPd8GVe_X6PlJt9pe3Dk85ndbJI5P-oTIHMD8nyUYQ-JXJle7qCRgCOlhPoTdhhg3/s320/WORKWEAR%20A5%20front%20cover.jpg" width="226" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3W6ZHEPk01bD5ADUTNMoD3KTmo0UpWfKk3qS1iMj7NRtT6c7wj32dO-5aCHWjJA081s9rovuRFnv1J_zngmvi6_oVZyFi56SgmKgJKtRlTFSnTMQwCNk1PiQeXqDfAIxoReWvHI_hH4E0fcngMGPH0T11CSYNFFN_rUEikOuREDNNJRE-G7U06RZg/s439/IMG_20220730_120036.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3W6ZHEPk01bD5ADUTNMoD3KTmo0UpWfKk3qS1iMj7NRtT6c7wj32dO-5aCHWjJA081s9rovuRFnv1J_zngmvi6_oVZyFi56SgmKgJKtRlTFSnTMQwCNk1PiQeXqDfAIxoReWvHI_hH4E0fcngMGPH0T11CSYNFFN_rUEikOuREDNNJRE-G7U06RZg/w148-h200/IMG_20220730_120036.jpg" width="148" /></a></span>In Rome I managed to visit Casina delle Civette in Villa Torlonia and Casa Balla in via Oslavia, near piazza Mazzini. Villa Torlonia is one of my favourite places in Rome. I go back there again and again also because it is not far from my mum’s place. It is a large park in via Nomentana that belonged to aristocratic families. The different buildings scattered in the park were expanded and refurbished by Giuseppe Valadier and after his death by Giovanni Caretti in the 19<sup>th</sup> century. It was the residence of Mussolini and his family and when the war ended was occupied by the Allied High Command until 1947. In the 1970s it was bought by the Municipality of Rome and restoration works started. Little by little all the buildings were refurbished and opened to the public. My favourite building is Casina delle Civette (House of the Owls) which was originally a Swiss Hut that the Prince Giovanni Torlonia jr. wanted restored. The name comes from the stained glass windows by Duilio Cambellotti (1914 and 1918) featuring owls. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The three main designers whose stained glass works adorn the cottage are Paolo Paschetto, Umberto</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IL3eZh_eeTIvW7J3c1eI7pQFwDB266qK81wj8uGD9oMsDADz1fxirXZJpD-8L7klGdNvaL2iiBQmhYmflaD5W6-LMJb2asSZeZwmkNz2aT5RF8fh5VGCsf1AA9uG3F-c9JGnXsVf26WeAuHJs6T1xi_q0Aep0skVT8C5i2VyhQ7q4S3FNozKehGG/s1000/IMG_20220730_121254_1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IL3eZh_eeTIvW7J3c1eI7pQFwDB266qK81wj8uGD9oMsDADz1fxirXZJpD-8L7klGdNvaL2iiBQmhYmflaD5W6-LMJb2asSZeZwmkNz2aT5RF8fh5VGCsf1AA9uG3F-c9JGnXsVf26WeAuHJs6T1xi_q0Aep0skVT8C5i2VyhQ7q4S3FNozKehGG/w150-h200/IMG_20220730_121254_1.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Botazzi and Duilio Cambellotti. They have different styles but also some shared traits that reflect the kind of media they have in common, that is, stained glass panels or windows. Botazzi’s work has stronger contrasts of dark and light as in ‘I Cigni’ (Swans, 1914) which features a black and a white swan and in the complex piece ‘I Pavoni’ (Peacocks, 1912). ‘La Fata’ (The Fair, 1917) by DuilioCambellotti is my favourite piece both in the use of delicate colours and in the unusual pose of the figure, sitting with a leg upright and looking aside in a mysterious attitude. Paolo Paschetto realised enchanting compositions of flowers, vegetation and geometric shapes. His colours are particularly vivid and the compositions convey a sense of harmony. Here is a useful link to know more on Casina delle Civette:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.museivillatorlonia.it/en/casina_delle_civette/la_casina_delle_civette">https://www.museivillatorlonia.it/en/casina_delle_civette/la_casina_delle_civette</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are also two links to reviews I wrote on exhibitions in Villa Torlonia:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2018/10/duilio-cambellotti-myth-dream-and-reality-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=128&wppa-photo=1657">https://londongrip.co.uk/2018/10/duilio-cambellotti-myth-dream-and-reality-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=128&wppa-photo=1657</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/01/the-roman-school-of-painting-at-villa-torlonia-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=220&wppa-photo=4303"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/01/the-roman-school-of-painting-at-villa-torlonia-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=220&wppa-photo=4303</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here is a poem I wrote on the park and its fabulous buildings:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Villa Torlonia revisited</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was not there when the Villa passed from the Pamphilj to the Colonna family<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and then sold to the wealthy Torlonia in 1797.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was not there when the park was remodelled and the edifices refurbished<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and expanded by Giuseppe Valadier.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was not there when Giovanni Torlonia converted the Swiss Hut<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">into the splendid Casina delle Civette.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was not there when the Villa was rented to Mussolini<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and when it was the centre of the Allied High Command.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But I was there when it opened to the public in 1978,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the park glorious in the dusk<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">its palm trees speaking of ancient times<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">when garden parties sang of the <i>flânerie</i> of the privileged<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">their leisure and intellectual idleness.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was there to witness the deterioration of the buildings within fences,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">no access allowed to the interiors,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">like dark caves abandoned to the dancing brambles.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Casino Nobile, Casino dei Principi,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the faux ruins, the Lemon House and Moorish Conservatory<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">reminders of past glories.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But I am here now after the pandemic,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">there is lemon and sugar in the air<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">renewal glows<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">disseminating its prism of light.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOmTL4eqfaLqfLOe0RIeom-lAn-apYad-F6KvCgxoMs-hFPot7BwnzwSWcOTtL7TdWbPfB97L2ZDecE409Bs-luW42c_NH1ezeYe0MDhs7hBATwqVtgzSUVs7WnFPebDDF58ilFUymNWN_I_Xym1CrGA16LZRSODcCvscltFSsWbuepoul4OGw2ix/s1000/Casa%20Balla.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOmTL4eqfaLqfLOe0RIeom-lAn-apYad-F6KvCgxoMs-hFPot7BwnzwSWcOTtL7TdWbPfB97L2ZDecE409Bs-luW42c_NH1ezeYe0MDhs7hBATwqVtgzSUVs7WnFPebDDF58ilFUymNWN_I_Xym1CrGA16LZRSODcCvscltFSsWbuepoul4OGw2ix/w150-h200/Casa%20Balla.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Casa Balla was a revelation. It is a large apartment in a block of flats in the Victoria district in Rome. Giacomo Balla, the famous futurist painter, and his family lived there from 1929 until his death in 1958, and his daughters kept the house museum intact until their death in the 1990s. The family transformed their home in a work of art painting and decorating the walls, doors, furniture and fittings. Here is the link to Casa Balla website:<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.maxxi.art/en/events/casaballa/">https://www.maxxi.art/en/events/casaballa/</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and to my review on the London Grip:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/casa-balla-review-by-carla-scarano/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/casa-balla-review-by-carla-scarano/</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To end on a sweet tooth, here are some new recipes I experimented with my mum in Rome:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Biscotti vegani</b> (Vegan biscuits)</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnI3ThCJdd9APEGeMJRJkjSesWNFMPu5uQKIDFd_2sdrBz_bqMKbP-taNUJPY2uCEB8ZcvFQ6Di27uuRVs-dDHQHz9p4jD3dYrlDHW6LfCLUOwCLv64tu0L9gd64fS7Q7Qx2IAQBY0kghMU62m9nJMjZXqKTkQs4LhaXU8tV1oCBZQxTV8GX_QSl0/s400/biscotti%20vegani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnI3ThCJdd9APEGeMJRJkjSesWNFMPu5uQKIDFd_2sdrBz_bqMKbP-taNUJPY2uCEB8ZcvFQ6Di27uuRVs-dDHQHz9p4jD3dYrlDHW6LfCLUOwCLv64tu0L9gd64fS7Q7Qx2IAQBY0kghMU62m9nJMjZXqKTkQs4LhaXU8tV1oCBZQxTV8GX_QSl0/w200-h150/biscotti%20vegani.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>You need: 200 g ground hazel nuts, 200 g ground almonds (or mixed nuts), 300 g wholemeal flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, some drops of vanilla essence, ½ tsp of cinnamon, 4 tbsp of sunflower oil, a glass of water, 200 g of demerara sugar. </span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and make small balls. Bake the biscuits on a tray lined with parchment paper for 15-20 minutes at 18</span><span style="font-size: large;">0 </span><span style="font-size: medium;"> C.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Pistachio bites</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 150 g of shelled pistachio, 70 g of ground almonds, 4 tbsp of olive oil, 160 g of self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, 150 g of sugar, one tsp of baking powder, three eggs, grated zest of a lemon, parchment paper. For the glaze you need: 2-3 tbsp of lemon juice, 200 g of icing sugar, some chopped pistachios.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6gyYk2rbuG-rfNcyCCT18qdVC7iK9uyVFfpI-6WcnnCFb8KvAgVMmNhnrIai_2ysFQfMPB_6pwFhkN3DszO8i2H06hEimBWU7rzT_v4TYtwkGpYPvlOSiTCXTdvpy9zyXuXHqTY1zgKBgh9FZRRk6SMPJB3FCTs5dXQ9sGW_8PgODKf7EJbxgb3y/s1000/pistachio%20bites.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6gyYk2rbuG-rfNcyCCT18qdVC7iK9uyVFfpI-6WcnnCFb8KvAgVMmNhnrIai_2ysFQfMPB_6pwFhkN3DszO8i2H06hEimBWU7rzT_v4TYtwkGpYPvlOSiTCXTdvpy9zyXuXHqTY1zgKBgh9FZRRk6SMPJB3FCTs5dXQ9sGW_8PgODKf7EJbxgb3y/w200-h150/pistachio%20bites.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Beat the eggs and sugar and pour in the olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until you have a smooth dough. Pour the mixture in a rectangular tray lined with parchment paper and bake for half an hour at </span><span style="font-size: medium;">18</span><span style="font-size: large;">0</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> C. When it is cool prepare the glaze mixing the icing sugar and the lemon juice then scatter the pistachios on top. Finally cut it in squares once the glaze is settled.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Apricot tart</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the dough you need: 100 g of melted butter, 200 g of self-raising flour, 100 g of ground almonds, 100 g of sugar, 2 eggs, some drops of vanilla extracts, some lukewarm milk.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDjLY-zfPgMEqK4H23owof6DTOzPZ7nE4YKymxwK0lS6uXFxtWddrx8qhYcHP6LV2dvZ7yAv5LuXtxg0KHnFlJrdGRGAxRVzO8ExUaoqyW8fF5Fm4iEIwV75w93znpUOBeUVtQS4AbIKs8VyYi3-qocn6L9kihpTqeauF0LNUVUwq2avSHFx-_-Mp/s1000/apricot%20tart.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDjLY-zfPgMEqK4H23owof6DTOzPZ7nE4YKymxwK0lS6uXFxtWddrx8qhYcHP6LV2dvZ7yAv5LuXtxg0KHnFlJrdGRGAxRVzO8ExUaoqyW8fF5Fm4iEIwV75w93znpUOBeUVtQS4AbIKs8VyYi3-qocn6L9kihpTqeauF0LNUVUwq2avSHFx-_-Mp/w200-h150/apricot%20tart.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: 900 g of apricots, three tbsp of demerara sugar, 300 g of sour cream, 200 g of yogurt Greek style.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the dough mixing all the ingredients. Let it rest for half an hour then roll it out and line a greased tart tin cake or a rectangular tin cake. Prepare the filling mixing the yogurt, the sugar and the sour cream. Pour the mixture on the dough then cut the apricots in quarters and decorate the top. Bake for half an hour at </span><span style="font-size: medium;">18</span><span style="font-size: large;">0</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> C.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Focaccia with zucchini flowers</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EhQ9T5v5XVzPi5ceN7sG9dcDm-K5BupwKXWJdnJ72VEp0foD-ZFJ7kgP0n0nyqM2SlNnytDilYZcoryhXS0GZWa1LS5Hsy_pEU1lDQXq8_kmKdRy1NcPz3rKoXPmIqSQKWxUqeODoE8flou5qC_6SSK_Q3rGhSGNE9_p99_5sIqHAZHbKQVeUiHB/s1000/focaccia%20zucchini%20flowers.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EhQ9T5v5XVzPi5ceN7sG9dcDm-K5BupwKXWJdnJ72VEp0foD-ZFJ7kgP0n0nyqM2SlNnytDilYZcoryhXS0GZWa1LS5Hsy_pEU1lDQXq8_kmKdRy1NcPz3rKoXPmIqSQKWxUqeODoE8flou5qC_6SSK_Q3rGhSGNE9_p99_5sIqHAZHbKQVeUiHB/w200-h150/focaccia%20zucchini%20flowers.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the dough you need: 400 g of plain flour, dry yeast, two tbsp of olive oil, ½ tsp of salt, some lukewarm water.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: some zucchini flowers, black pitted olives, pine nuts, olive oil, half an onion.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the dough mixing all the ingredients and knead it, then let it rest for two hours covered with a wet tea towel in a warm place. Soak the zucchini flowers in water. Prepare the filling cutting the onion finely and fry it slightly in olive oil. Add the zucchini flowers roughly cut and finally the olives and pine nuts. Roll out half of the dough and line a greased rectangular oven tray. Pour the zucchini flower mixture on the dough and cover it with the rest of the dough. Bake for half an hour at </span><span style="font-size: medium;">18</span><span style="font-size: large;">0</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> C.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Buns with herbs</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 400 g of strong flour, dry yeast, 2 tbsp of olive oil, one tsp of salt, two eggs, some lukewarm water. For the filling you need: mixed fresh herbs (e.g., oregano, basil, parsley, till, rosemary), olive oil, two eggs, salt and pepper.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5EBTT0kUl3HMHrUQB1P51Eu4Z2-FqVAOIksfMuRmc9V1cM2Q7knk-_JSXxsXFhFQQpwNroiHHR4Mc4yXUphTw9JNLBNyovqvRXDxWLB0TLnB-W2osc6adBqrUE6ytJChsONzs-H-I54eCtmTZdnUYr8swHyN5jjdbu05eS5GTfyu6RZbnnqz13YG/s851/buns%20with%20herbs.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="737" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5EBTT0kUl3HMHrUQB1P51Eu4Z2-FqVAOIksfMuRmc9V1cM2Q7knk-_JSXxsXFhFQQpwNroiHHR4Mc4yXUphTw9JNLBNyovqvRXDxWLB0TLnB-W2osc6adBqrUE6ytJChsONzs-H-I54eCtmTZdnUYr8swHyN5jjdbu05eS5GTfyu6RZbnnqz13YG/w173-h200/buns%20with%20herbs.jpg" width="173" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the dough mixing all the ingredients and knead it, then let it rest for two hours covered with a wet tea towel in a warm place. Roll it out on a piece of parchment paper and spread the herbs on the top. Sprinkle some salt and pepper, add olive oil and two beaten eggs. Roll the dough over and bake for 20-30 minutes at 20</span><span style="font-size: large;">0</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> C. Take it out of the oven and cut it in 2’’ slices. Put the buns back in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until ready.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Rich summer tiramisu</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: savoiardi biscuits, mixed berries, amaretti biscuits, coffee plus liquor (optional), 50 g of grated dark chocolate. For the cream you need: 250 g of mascarpone, 3 eggs, 4 tbsp of sugar.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7ffOOaldxd4NE2JghmeEjlYNN72lGBKWPp3O6dHEsJCHlMHJ-PgD3PrPS-HlqiKuJdYU-aLwHm7h4FPLY9LLeMO7akkU09j65tCgxLU6WRFSaN83BKZ3UJ_zyKIw-HmPJ4DvtaXxSqy2H3l8X8oFN18HryQUYehOoD0mC-TbQcIiRCaJdt83FEIa/s1000/summer%20tiramisu.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7ffOOaldxd4NE2JghmeEjlYNN72lGBKWPp3O6dHEsJCHlMHJ-PgD3PrPS-HlqiKuJdYU-aLwHm7h4FPLY9LLeMO7akkU09j65tCgxLU6WRFSaN83BKZ3UJ_zyKIw-HmPJ4DvtaXxSqy2H3l8X8oFN18HryQUYehOoD0mC-TbQcIiRCaJdt83FEIa/s320/summer%20tiramisu.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the coffee and add the liquor (optional) then let it cool. Prepare the cream beating the yolks of the eggs with the sugar. Beat the egg whites until stiff and blend it in the sugar and egg mixture then add the mascarpone cream. Chop the berries and mix them to the cream (keep some of them to decorate the top). Soak the savoiardi in the coffee and form a layer at the bottom of a rectangular plastic or glass container. Spread some of the cream on the savoiardi layer and sprinkle crushed amaretti on top too. Form another layer of savoiardi and add cream and crushed amaretti. End with a layer of cream and decorate the top with some berries and grated dark chocolate. Chill for a few hours before serving.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Enjoy 😃</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiXu4bn1kMdHWMiTQs9rFVM2H50-8UdXAcEd1daOos6dCf-woH3WuFXdJLGrGUJm_sIdpFpYYjhCR74WSFj-TlqhqRsR0JkOov_vO_rQTBPfyx_exQFPuyqjZIHIrUEl6HJgS3A0mQEGFxXLBWHEdat7oT6YZuj6RmMOc0wjm7aeFXPkWUV1vn0zg/s1000/painting%20flowers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiXu4bn1kMdHWMiTQs9rFVM2H50-8UdXAcEd1daOos6dCf-woH3WuFXdJLGrGUJm_sIdpFpYYjhCR74WSFj-TlqhqRsR0JkOov_vO_rQTBPfyx_exQFPuyqjZIHIrUEl6HJgS3A0mQEGFxXLBWHEdat7oT6YZuj6RmMOc0wjm7aeFXPkWUV1vn0zg/s320/painting%20flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p></div>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-60036209146250155962022-09-11T09:17:00.004-07:002022-09-11T09:17:26.108-07:00Thinking about the Queen<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuQtuVZ0dx5MjCbaW_GXsFb67nFukjSezp6U3tjI8RU2g88PKTOeAAF_eWwhzbfjQWTB0Xd7AcydKRCc6sqwPAUo5NEexAdxa2FVia7UavgKJgzeaEjY7dNlrDcAMTuCXPiP71_O6SdSSBPhrQHTqvwgElidP4mfOn09j2V1xh8Q8kh8hOEferkdQ/s1240/5603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1240" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuQtuVZ0dx5MjCbaW_GXsFb67nFukjSezp6U3tjI8RU2g88PKTOeAAF_eWwhzbfjQWTB0Xd7AcydKRCc6sqwPAUo5NEexAdxa2FVia7UavgKJgzeaEjY7dNlrDcAMTuCXPiP71_O6SdSSBPhrQHTqvwgElidP4mfOn09j2V1xh8Q8kh8hOEferkdQ/s320/5603.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was so sad when I realised that the Queen was dead; I couldn’t believe it. It happened only two days after she had appointed Liz Truss prime minister, and the whole thing seemed unreal. I was attending a social event when I heard the news, and I felt I couldn’t follow what was happening and would have to leave. Eventually, I felt able to stay, so I carried on but I didn’t feel fully engaged. Deep within myself, I felt we had lost someone so important that there was no way to go back or to replace her. Her son Charles will be different and we’ll miss her.</span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4WUbLUKzfd7X0rw8veyJhh2_XIrD4d5UxHsa6IyH2vaSdFVoAcWkMvW7iQ-sXPC-E1PJzC3VnTkYCNTilsNSx6lkvEZEKQ_SvvNM6QgBneM3DpyfHB8nsLG5eyeHAn80BwqOh-xLZ-BOOeUH2OfYE5MK2JX0zd44T6NbMwZkfwjCaoY6JVWAAA3I/s1195/285740846_3245588112352973_247223534631853268_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4WUbLUKzfd7X0rw8veyJhh2_XIrD4d5UxHsa6IyH2vaSdFVoAcWkMvW7iQ-sXPC-E1PJzC3VnTkYCNTilsNSx6lkvEZEKQ_SvvNM6QgBneM3DpyfHB8nsLG5eyeHAn80BwqOh-xLZ-BOOeUH2OfYE5MK2JX0zd44T6NbMwZkfwjCaoY6JVWAAA3I/s320/285740846_3245588112352973_247223534631853268_n.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">She accomplished her promise to dedicate her life to the service of the nation and to her people, a romantic and old-fashioned vow, perhaps, but she modestly kept it until the end. This conveyed confidence and stability to the country and helped the monarchy gain popularity. She once said that ‘the Crown is an idea not a person’, which confirms her sense of realism and loyalty. I admired her for her determination and her capacity to navigate her seemingly easy life with joy and a sense of duty, which made her look as if she had been born to be a queen. She clearly enjoyed her role and was happy both in her childhood and in her adult life. The evident happiness of her marriage to Philip Mountbatten comes across in the family photos. She is shown with a beaming smile when she looks at him, and indeed she followed him in his missions, which shows how much she loved him. They had four children, not just for the purpose of providing heirs to the House of Windsor but for the pleasure of having a large family. She could not be with her children all the time due to Crown-related commitments, but it was clear that she loved them and cared deeply about her family.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJOwZI_7uY-YHfZD7eKM15iLMNhGvrrmnGoNpMXcWFETNVbDD7xhgY-QxjDE4SZPbkyLlGEqrowiGBmmYnW6llxaWatlcls4N4D9qXfKpUYyhaQmFqFybhx0DLeDziuIAsx7ZZP0SjETLGlIfLafdyHOgSzoGxYUOnT2DXp0keeqTatM2K_m8czTq/s612/280296347_556672515828579_3842081163179062235_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJOwZI_7uY-YHfZD7eKM15iLMNhGvrrmnGoNpMXcWFETNVbDD7xhgY-QxjDE4SZPbkyLlGEqrowiGBmmYnW6llxaWatlcls4N4D9qXfKpUYyhaQmFqFybhx0DLeDziuIAsx7ZZP0SjETLGlIfLafdyHOgSzoGxYUOnT2DXp0keeqTatM2K_m8czTq/s320/280296347_556672515828579_3842081163179062235_n.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes I thought she could carry on until she was 100 or more, an immortality of sorts that would give us more time to think about a possible death. But it happened so suddenly when we still needed her, and it seemed so unexpected. She was always present, like a good mother and then grandmother is, in an unpretentious way, without being loud or judgemental. She knew her place and her duty, realising that continuity and balance are crucial to personal and national well-being. Her image was not a glamorous one, but she was good-looking until old age, wearing bright, all-one-colour outfits that stood out against the grey British weather.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Many people have spoken about her dedication, selflessness and work ethic, which are all true, but I think she really enjoyed what she was doing and believed in it. When Philip Larkin wrote the lines ‘when nothing stood/But worsened or grew strange … She did not change’ for her Silver Jubilee, I don’t think he was completely right. In my opinion, her strength was her capacity to be steady but also to adapt to the different situations that arose, or at least in part. Examples of her flexible attitude are the way she dealt with the divorces of her children, even though she had a 73-year marriage with Prince Philip, and the turbulences and scandals she had to face from within the royal family, ranging from those relating to Diana and, recently, to Prince Andrew, to Harry and Meghan’s exit from the UK and the reshaping of the Commonwealth.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaLRMcVkFUKr5OghNjouR0QINnQSHxr3Ony22am4-HaD0LKuzGDacDWeqRLkonEUCZL5LcWjgqI7S0g3UvslPphFEjyAK_TINoYdgWOW8xFxSM1-P4aUMYYrDtMOEG3rno-EeSyIajRwCCBR8vp5nykAyhlTnmhCsaCGR4OQ27UUQIARzWkSKuebB/s960/TELEMMGLPICT000298379602_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqKjggCdpvXjoraOzAlyzu1OZ4rIwMkIxkKo_v8-HMYxA.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaLRMcVkFUKr5OghNjouR0QINnQSHxr3Ony22am4-HaD0LKuzGDacDWeqRLkonEUCZL5LcWjgqI7S0g3UvslPphFEjyAK_TINoYdgWOW8xFxSM1-P4aUMYYrDtMOEG3rno-EeSyIajRwCCBR8vp5nykAyhlTnmhCsaCGR4OQ27UUQIARzWkSKuebB/s320/TELEMMGLPICT000298379602_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqKjggCdpvXjoraOzAlyzu1OZ4rIwMkIxkKo_v8-HMYxA.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I especially liked her sense of humour, which is displayed in her short performance for the Olympics in 2012, when she was in a scene with James Bond, and her famous<span class="s1" style="color: red;"> </span>appearance with Paddington Bear for the Platinum Jubilee. Here are the links:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AS-dCdYZbo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AS-dCdYZbo</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UfiCa244XE"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UfiCa244XE</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The video clips are not just entertaining; they also reveal an easy-going and positive approach to life. This is a characteristic she also expressed in the coronavirus-related address to the nation in 2020 when she said ‘We’ll meet again’, echoing Vera Lynn’s wartime song. It was a hopeful message that recalled the difficult times of the Second World War that she experienced with her people, as always.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The obituaries, articles and BBC programmes and the celebrations in the UK and around the world that are dedicated to her life and death are all so moving and sincere that they inspire deep respect and admiration. We are already thinking about the new king, Charles III, and about the kings to come. But we will always remember her.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3PthXaZmoTJoeFt2TF-Agn0ZDfgsAaODOwfS2dHuPhEOg17F7hFX-OQPBg1klMIZULudwc7R0Q4oDLGk4x7gSot6aUUzCtBG8f2Bs8ti2ZLVXC31_9zLI9IbVvDdzqFJfqwQgqN36RDebLj1sYQCQr2seeQqUmUXWIYGw2tGUTf3-kqT8zhLZ29y/s1200/15%20Nov%202018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1023" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3PthXaZmoTJoeFt2TF-Agn0ZDfgsAaODOwfS2dHuPhEOg17F7hFX-OQPBg1klMIZULudwc7R0Q4oDLGk4x7gSot6aUUzCtBG8f2Bs8ti2ZLVXC31_9zLI9IbVvDdzqFJfqwQgqN36RDebLj1sYQCQr2seeQqUmUXWIYGw2tGUTf3-kqT8zhLZ29y/s320/15%20Nov%202018.jpg" width="273" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Saturday after her death, I went to London and tried to reach the Queen Victoria Memorial, along with thousands of other people flooding towards Buckingham Palace holding bunches of flowers. But The Strand was blocked and there was no way to access the square. The crowd was diverted towards Green Park, where there was a tree surrounded by flowers, candles and cards. I left my sunflowers and red rose there, and I am sure that, somehow, she will receive my message to her.</span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-33639586852215786642022-08-31T03:07:00.004-07:002022-08-31T03:07:21.736-07:00The long hot summer<p> <span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It has been a long hot summer, and I loved it. No drizzle or grey skies for weeks. A real summer, a bit too hot at times but I felt I needed it after such a cold winter and unstable spring. My flowers bloomed in the back garden and I had ripe tomatoes for salad and caprese, and zucchini to make frittata. I must say in Rome it was definitely too hot, 35-40 C most days with an average of 50% humidity. My mum has air conditioning at home and fans too, so we survived, but at times I felt dizzy and had headaches. The only way to get through the day was staying still in front of a fan or go to bed and have a nap.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixl0MJeactE7ZcNN-ytixZE_pOqvYyP1ZJ4GL9RWuUGB8OZTprQ_HmBrFUussCzPNrfzOyd3UppVHSGYIfn3uorOtNkhBd4WhTpfpaHD5KAD9sy1v1E0dSV3MhLqoDjL7sJWJUxwjlW84HzkVJxozLknnrckXifyZCFb1mVtyGoW6SJFSj0At_cVla/s2000/IMG-20220716-WA0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixl0MJeactE7ZcNN-ytixZE_pOqvYyP1ZJ4GL9RWuUGB8OZTprQ_HmBrFUussCzPNrfzOyd3UppVHSGYIfn3uorOtNkhBd4WhTpfpaHD5KAD9sy1v1E0dSV3MhLqoDjL7sJWJUxwjlW84HzkVJxozLknnrckXifyZCFb1mVtyGoW6SJFSj0At_cVla/s320/IMG-20220716-WA0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqgsdvkDBhQ-cYlL6OPPyuxI53QpywmeuGjlgoNfXulcJwwv45yeRfAASv1-6uSE_JTeMcq-YV3DOkm8e-yHXrnrKG64b_JuuUZjWQS5AaLy2GVX4GU_QQV7mQ0XwRaI22zasfTqkH0hgKhk1PHZhDdtHIZI70U6Xf1upe__CpG2Y5TyykI789bXr/s816/IMG_20220827_150740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="612" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqgsdvkDBhQ-cYlL6OPPyuxI53QpywmeuGjlgoNfXulcJwwv45yeRfAASv1-6uSE_JTeMcq-YV3DOkm8e-yHXrnrKG64b_JuuUZjWQS5AaLy2GVX4GU_QQV7mQ0XwRaI22zasfTqkH0hgKhk1PHZhDdtHIZI70U6Xf1upe__CpG2Y5TyykI789bXr/w150-h200/IMG_20220827_150740.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Before leaving for Italy, we travelled north to see my sons. We all gathered in Wakefield where my eldest son lives. We had a whole day altogether, had lunch outside and enjoyed the good weather. I made lasagne and polpettone and my daughter in law made her exceptional brownies. We spent two days with my sons and followed my granddaughter Violetta in her explorations in the garden. Now she speaks a few words: mamma, papà, all gone (when she finishes her food), her version of ‘shoes’ (when she wants to go out), ba for ball, ‘cacca’ (poo), car, ta for thank you and she repeats some animal sounds like woof and quack. We went through all her books together. She loves the peek-a-boo ones, and she likes playing pee-a-boo too. She claps her hands and giggles when she is happy about what she is doing and likes playing with pebbles. Her curiosity about what is around her is so typical and yet surprising for me; I love seeing her so active, engaged and joyful. Now she has a cousin, baby Jupiter born in June from one of my daughter-in-law’s sisters, so she is no more the only little girl in the family. I brought a new swimming suit with Peppa Pig<br /> patterns but apparently she prefers the cartoons of Thomas the Tank engine at the moment.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2VqCaTykmrjzhZvMMwcailY4PbJ2KNCps4KYatgl_M1I67DanIMa8MjyWpc_9K3YEu1gnkL_5esAQtqeLYqZNfMF5PPQDDVqXtRvsVLLNIljFynzgNDs4WJvk_Dn0V0rJUQv0ypB39jUDy5QNrcou4pVFg9IpdDUkYobm3ghYnr1Ifpug0OoFyg7/s1000/IMG_20220820_152235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2VqCaTykmrjzhZvMMwcailY4PbJ2KNCps4KYatgl_M1I67DanIMa8MjyWpc_9K3YEu1gnkL_5esAQtqeLYqZNfMF5PPQDDVqXtRvsVLLNIljFynzgNDs4WJvk_Dn0V0rJUQv0ypB39jUDy5QNrcou4pVFg9IpdDUkYobm3ghYnr1Ifpug0OoFyg7/w150-h200/IMG_20220820_152235.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">We also visited my autistic daughter Valentina before leaving. We had such a good time outside in the garden with her where the staff of the house organised a barbeque. We played with her inside too, blowing and hanging balloons and making drawings of her favourite cartoon characters, Leela and SpongeBob. She loves doing craft stuff so I always try to find new things she can use and be creative with.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Little by little I started to relax from the busy year, enjoyed the long days, the sunshine and the light clothes I could finally wear without feeling too cold. It took a few days to change my routine and recover energies once the school year ended. I still had some house works to do that I had left behind and some writings to complete before going on holiday but eventually I met all the deadlines. Before flying to Italy, I felt I really needed to be disconnected from all my commitments for a while.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My daughter, my husband and I spent a day in London before leaving. We visited exhibitions and attended an evening performance of the Proms 2022 at the Royal Albert Hall. The concert featured the ‘Miners’ Hymn’ by Jóhann Jóhannsson, a haunting dark piece that evoked the miners’ sufferings and hardships. It was followed by Sergey Rachmaninov’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor’, romantic then suddenly dramatic with a grand finale. After the interval they played ‘The Fact of the Matter ‘by Hildur Guðnadóttir, a BBC commission, and ‘Fantasy-Overture ‘Romeo and Juliet’’ by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky which alternated the joy of dancing with a beloved, revealing the love blooming between Romeo and Juliet, and the drama of the reality they lived through in tragic notes and clashing sounds.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1WqV7PVP8VLLckouAJaNy2ZROtZUQHaXviEKIRW-29MszrdqapKhWcNsCpSxIquLX7_RvaBfz36umpLIO-JdPD0pVhoIktvBw0PCYG_pSytxTM1y8OyGsNu_G8L1zJK8q8Bz-BwCrmopOcCIsJiSoAET8Nv6p_kAL5Po3tMMey0h2EvawBoRmuCv/s1000/IMG_20220720_214236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1WqV7PVP8VLLckouAJaNy2ZROtZUQHaXviEKIRW-29MszrdqapKhWcNsCpSxIquLX7_RvaBfz36umpLIO-JdPD0pVhoIktvBw0PCYG_pSytxTM1y8OyGsNu_G8L1zJK8q8Bz-BwCrmopOcCIsJiSoAET8Nv6p_kAL5Po3tMMey0h2EvawBoRmuCv/s320/IMG_20220720_214236.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We attended the Citi exhibition at the British Museum, ‘Feminine Power: the Divine and the Demonic’, which impressed me for the variety and amount of artefacts and artworks on display. The captions and comments were engrossing too and covered all the possible sides of how feminine power is seen all over the world and throughout centuries. Here is the link to my review on London Grip: <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/feminine-power-the-divine-and-the-demonic-review-by-carla-scarano/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/feminine-power-the-divine-and-the-demonic-review-by-carla-scarano/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also visited the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. I was flabbergasted by the diversified quality of the artworks with more than 1,400 pieces on display from about 15,000 submissions. I submitted a piece too, a crochet installation inspired by global warming, but it wasn’t selected. I will try again next year. Here is the link to my review of this impressive exhibition: <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/royal-academy-of-arts-summer-exhibition-2022-review-by-carla-scarano/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/08/royal-academy-of-arts-summer-exhibition-2022-review-by-carla-scarano/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55SQdUkzvTJSggJh6ySNA4D0c8zM9N6gxmLrpvxqnfA77dEgHSbFbXyQHBuV1cj5_mY06XbnMNT0CVwrjLMK_B7wKRNd1Yc8cGe_yhoDHM0ltVm1bMpdqWcIBRfl_HkS3L00wY2rIaiWBAHAvTB2Il-gBSN7PyX3zqaMOGrI3LgEwsUPkfT1BGUup/s290/picasso%20Ingres.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="290" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55SQdUkzvTJSggJh6ySNA4D0c8zM9N6gxmLrpvxqnfA77dEgHSbFbXyQHBuV1cj5_mY06XbnMNT0CVwrjLMK_B7wKRNd1Yc8cGe_yhoDHM0ltVm1bMpdqWcIBRfl_HkS3L00wY2rIaiWBAHAvTB2Il-gBSN7PyX3zqaMOGrI3LgEwsUPkfT1BGUup/s1600/picasso%20Ingres.jpeg" width="290" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I couldn’t miss ‘Picasso Ingres Face to Face’ at the National Gallery; it was such a great idea to display ‘Madame Moitessier’ (1844-1856) and Picasso’s ‘Woman with a Book’ (1932) side by side. There is a connection between the two works as Picasso cheekily acknowledged the influence of Ingres’ picture. The transformation from one work to the other is striking and speaks volumes about artistic interpretation and evolving styles. The two paintings were completed more than seventy years apart which gives an idea of how much art changed in the 20<sup>th</sup> century. There is more freedom of expression in Picasso’s piece, but it is not unleashed and loose, on the contrary his work is thoughtful and controlled. I was particularly impressed by Ingres’ technical skills in rendering the subject’s skin and dress that look so smooth and real. In Picasso, his young lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter, reveals their reciprocal passion in the colours and pose. We can imagine a conversation between the two paintings in which Picasso’s piece comments and reflects on art and how to make it different from what it was supposed to be in the past.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At The Lightbox in Woking the wonderful exhibition ‘Canaletto and Melissa McGill: Performance and Panorama’ was on (and will be open until the 13<sup>th</sup> of November). I was lucky to have the chance to meet the American artist Melissa McGill when I visited the exhibition and had an interesting conversation with her in Italian, as she lived in Venice for two years and knows the language. The show explores Canaletto’s (1697-1768) pictures of Italian and English landscapes alongside Melissa McGill’s (b. 1969) art project ‘Red Regatta’, presented in Venice in collaboration with Associazione Vela al Terzo. Here is the link to my review: <a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/08/06/canaletto-and-melissa-mcgill-performance-and-panorama/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/08/06/canaletto-and-melissa-mcgill-performance-and-panorama/</span></a><span class="s2" style="color: red;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLDCsqZr25bH3oso941UIcgFgmETQTbkseX-epXN_1MiZ8fKY5zQOGDIa2OgBbw6JJmQIVnPlmtoyRAtaGzSQaAtb8M11r_0YCqKmKbcTVk1Gzb7pGZ8qD7ULuTsZEOsllJrkHklmKBRdLCMAF_NFvK8iXGKZbLVBWYmFuH6CPcwzLe5Ym8_VC8vA/s1632/canaletto-1-melissa-mcgill-b.1969-red-regatta-coppa-del-presidente-della-repubblica-san-giorgio-maggiore-2019.-archival-pigment-print.-c2a9-melissa-mcgill-maz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1632" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLDCsqZr25bH3oso941UIcgFgmETQTbkseX-epXN_1MiZ8fKY5zQOGDIa2OgBbw6JJmQIVnPlmtoyRAtaGzSQaAtb8M11r_0YCqKmKbcTVk1Gzb7pGZ8qD7ULuTsZEOsllJrkHklmKBRdLCMAF_NFvK8iXGKZbLVBWYmFuH6CPcwzLe5Ym8_VC8vA/s320/canaletto-1-melissa-mcgill-b.1969-red-regatta-coppa-del-presidente-della-repubblica-san-giorgio-maggiore-2019.-archival-pigment-print.-c2a9-melissa-mcgill-maz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At the end of July, both Italian and English politics were in a mess that lasted throughout summer. In the UK the forced resignation of Boris Johnson started a race in the conservative party for the leadership. In Italy, Mario Draghi’s government lost the vote of confidence of part of the coalition and consequently fell. The Five Stars party voted against Draghi and then split in two parties, the Five Stars led by Giuseppe Conte and Insieme per il futuro (together for the future) led by Luigi Di Maio. What seemed a good agreement was therefore broken despite the fact that the economy was recovering and the government was coping well with the fuel crisis and the Ukrainian conflict. The political crisis triggered early general elections, which will be on the 25<sup>th</sup> of September 2022. As a consequence of this political turmoil, both in Italy and in the UK, most of the newspaper articles and TV programmes were about politics, candidates, coalitions and proposals on how to tackle inflation as well as price and fuel rises, though the war in Ukraine was still raging and refugees flocked to European coasts (about 2,000 in Lampedusa only in August). Apparently, people need change or just feasible solutions. Liz Truss seems the favourite though her plan to cut taxes was labelled as unrealistic and should go together with the reduce of spending, according to some commentators. Sunak fell behind and more and more MPs supported Truss, Johnson included.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpMnNo7lqtWFdJGqtcmkge5vHMzCRKkRkLkFIDC2yvp4EF-cDaHkX74-i9G1NrZNkUJ0ekEi4KpXwDUmvVVv-gTa4uzOr6lyfIffYBOJ-iu5UFrycF9XVdJrxik3p2h5kkDLf-pbpRbqaXJjA-zcE0fKjrvsSopFOunmZURNk2xZNtRX24fNjwVRI/s800/IMG_20220727_100114_509.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpMnNo7lqtWFdJGqtcmkge5vHMzCRKkRkLkFIDC2yvp4EF-cDaHkX74-i9G1NrZNkUJ0ekEi4KpXwDUmvVVv-gTa4uzOr6lyfIffYBOJ-iu5UFrycF9XVdJrxik3p2h5kkDLf-pbpRbqaXJjA-zcE0fKjrvsSopFOunmZURNk2xZNtRX24fNjwVRI/w200-h150/IMG_20220727_100114_509.webp" width="200" /></a></div>In Italy, coalitions of parties started to form in July polarising on two main groups at first, the right and the left. But then a third group appeared formed by a centre-left of sorts that neither agreed with the right wing nor with the left Democratic party (PD) led by Enrico Letta. The coalitions are mainly based on political programs but also on voting polls. Apparently, the right is winning, according to the voting polls, with a fluctuation of 60-80% of the total votes. However, this might change as it is possible that it doesn’t reflect people’s choices as a good percentage of people are not going to vote. To make things even more complicated, the new Italian electoral law doesn’t allow a clear-cut winner as it is a mixture of uninominal and proportional systems. Brothers of Italy, a far-right party led by Giorgia Meloni, seems to be at the top together with Lega, led by Matteo Salvini, and Forza Italia, led by the octogenarian Silvio Berlusconi. I don’t like their ideas and their programs, but I understand that they are consistent and that Meloni is a charismatic leader. Would she be able to deliver her program and rule the country if she is elected? I doubt it, and I don’t trust Salvini or Berlusconi either. I feel they are well below average as politicians compared to Draghi.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At the end of July I reached my mum in Rome facing the heat and a period of total rest, which I really needed.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-18170910756190903752022-07-17T23:49:00.003-07:002022-07-18T08:38:22.156-07:00Planning the summer holidays<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A7eeegL5k7HZ1pYx3hNC6sjk8IRyQV1iwdhfgl2Wcd6DZ6wFViMY8Q2T6RBBdEcLsTFJPJRa_3dT_-Z0C5ppDRl_4pw05dBq_AV7c1DrydyMyfqi13DQzHmL0WZdHtRzGCy8xk5Cqren7WJrryJgpatmIRr3KBPUcuQ7xRjpVsHw8rmrGy0La56G/s881/FWpVHZGWYAAZJXP.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="881" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A7eeegL5k7HZ1pYx3hNC6sjk8IRyQV1iwdhfgl2Wcd6DZ6wFViMY8Q2T6RBBdEcLsTFJPJRa_3dT_-Z0C5ppDRl_4pw05dBq_AV7c1DrydyMyfqi13DQzHmL0WZdHtRzGCy8xk5Cqren7WJrryJgpatmIRr3KBPUcuQ7xRjpVsHw8rmrGy0La56G/s320/FWpVHZGWYAAZJXP.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I know we are having a heat wave emergency and temperatures may rise up to 40 degrees in some parts of England, but I am feeling so good with a bit of hot weather after so many grey days, and it will not last long I suspect. I can finally wear my flowery light long dresses and loose t-shirts. I decorated some of them with crochet flowers and asked my daughter to paint roses, daisies and tulips on others. They look very pretty and fresh. My mum says that in Italy it is unbearably hot. Temperatures are reaching 40-45 degrees with high levels of humidity especially in cities like Rome. My mum told me that she struggles to carry on, she is often dizzy and has headaches. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jBhz6aYNGjjnt9nfx9N85JiH2hklPf5BFrQ0aCL1x8SI2yaIxOY8SzAC-LmEKeI7xQeBywL2xCVnye0epv3FTJ_NBVtFlq8M_0AL_q_prseqsZW0sjxQa4eRYj1QC4Y5okQvx33Lj4udRqq5hw-6HOO8kntaYbzRizZW48uCFungVkLeG0WMZPqq/s1000/T-shirts_Irene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jBhz6aYNGjjnt9nfx9N85JiH2hklPf5BFrQ0aCL1x8SI2yaIxOY8SzAC-LmEKeI7xQeBywL2xCVnye0epv3FTJ_NBVtFlq8M_0AL_q_prseqsZW0sjxQa4eRYj1QC4Y5okQvx33Lj4udRqq5hw-6HOO8kntaYbzRizZW48uCFungVkLeG0WMZPqq/w200-h150/T-shirts_Irene.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />This kind of weather started at the end of May with only a week of cooler weather when they had some thunderstorms during the night. She stays inside most of the day with windows shut surviving with some air conditioning and fans. I will go to visit her at the end of July but I don’t think it will be better. Some parks in Rome, such as Pineta Sacchetti, had destructive fires that the fire brigades struggled to extinguish. I am planning to see a few exhibitions in Rome and visiting some friends but I am not sure the weather condition will allow me to go out too much. I think it will be a challenging period for me and I need to think how to organise my life when I am in Rome. The other problem are mosquitos which I’m not used to anymore. In Italy they are everywhere, day and night. We use some products to prevent bites but it is impossible to avoid them completely. They buzz around you even at night. Honestly, I am not really looking forward to spending my holidays in Italy, though I’m happy to see my mum.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP36DDeAkF5E71eLk1JywtKl64kBoQWPRwSrXa5k5rki-GRv4AnAIhY_OhlNOQYw4zZ6Cmbk3vgzl6yeqq81KnX2YR5dYEFzLdZiuTIeAYPLdXhLcKmBlVUrWZG2jlBXkIrcNcJuQjvCW39WyeXmdHi1L2_4h9vR-onE9t7B-E1ZiMb4_nhGv6adXw/s1200/FW4iP_WXgAATUg9.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP36DDeAkF5E71eLk1JywtKl64kBoQWPRwSrXa5k5rki-GRv4AnAIhY_OhlNOQYw4zZ6Cmbk3vgzl6yeqq81KnX2YR5dYEFzLdZiuTIeAYPLdXhLcKmBlVUrWZG2jlBXkIrcNcJuQjvCW39WyeXmdHi1L2_4h9vR-onE9t7B-E1ZiMb4_nhGv6adXw/w200-h200/FW4iP_WXgAATUg9.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Besides visiting my mum, I will see my sons in the north of England, my daughter Valentina in Redhill and some elderly friends of mine who live in Woking and in Guildford. I will spend a day or two in London visiting exhibitions, attending the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and maybe going to see gardens in Surrey. Flowers are inspiring me both in my crochet work and in painting. I collected a great number of pictures of flowers I took myself and downloaded from social media. Observing the flowers in gardens is a bit different though. You can see the texture, keep memories of what you observed and rework it at home. I rarely paint <i>en plein air</i>, that is, outside. For me what you produce is a memory of what you experience, which always changes in some way even if you have the subject or the picture in front of you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg719Ph8QbxzlYFq_qXeYR5p5YaaSpvB2w-nqGvbTwf2jvDNgTsDO2b6AhDB1DDnP-kTZnKtPmgZce7OTcYgWvx2lm8O_MABbzqQjbvIxcAJTX4lpAczLT3R-hqmT43EkzisYh_yB82UUmzxq98j_KvpWHqDX3L02uSqXIiRoW0cObFSQ7UjNhjyTLK/s1000/making%20girasole.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg719Ph8QbxzlYFq_qXeYR5p5YaaSpvB2w-nqGvbTwf2jvDNgTsDO2b6AhDB1DDnP-kTZnKtPmgZce7OTcYgWvx2lm8O_MABbzqQjbvIxcAJTX4lpAczLT3R-hqmT43EkzisYh_yB82UUmzxq98j_KvpWHqDX3L02uSqXIiRoW0cObFSQ7UjNhjyTLK/w200-h150/making%20girasole.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">At the moment I am completing a new post-box crochet installation with a sunflower and am working on sunflowers in my paintings too. Sunflowers represent the essence of summer with their burnt sienna centre and bright yellow petals. I am mainly using watercolours wet on wet but also mixed media, pens, oil pastels and ink. I love making small pieces on khadi handmade paper I can stick on small and big cards to give to friends and family.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At the Park School where I work as a teaching assistant my students are making original projects for clock designs. In science they are watching videos on the universe and studying the conditions needed for biological life and the possibility of other lives somewhere, that we call aliens, a word that implies utter otherness and maybe hostility rather than possible proximity.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJfa9EWBBw4bHUy0k8gSjwEYZk3nR62QtsELAreqGUEQOjypqyVlmlJoUS9OsiGkjkq_DOCsrXlOhL7R2FqIvILtICilvQErQOQjkkE9SDiZ_krlhmdg-M59rT9sBlI0e7XfAgXtZgM9LaxvBBfwLMtTfDhtP0kZzt7SeKAQKxE6gtt10PgNARlaP/s1000/IMG_20220715_113049.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJfa9EWBBw4bHUy0k8gSjwEYZk3nR62QtsELAreqGUEQOjypqyVlmlJoUS9OsiGkjkq_DOCsrXlOhL7R2FqIvILtICilvQErQOQjkkE9SDiZ_krlhmdg-M59rT9sBlI0e7XfAgXtZgM9LaxvBBfwLMtTfDhtP0kZzt7SeKAQKxE6gtt10PgNARlaP/w200-h150/IMG_20220715_113049.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The last week was great fun; we had two trips, at The Big Apple and at Pirate Golf in Woking. The students had outdoors games, art sessions, drama and craft activities and they even fired a rocket made with a plastic bottle filled with water and air. We also attended a show, <i>Losing it!</i>, on sexual education performed by <i>Peer Production</i> (<a href="https://www.peerproductions.co.uk/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.peerproductions.co.uk/</span></a> ), a group of students who train to access drama school. The story covered the high school years from year seven to sixth form describing all possible scenarios from first dates to questioning your sexuality, straight, homosexual, queer, then sexism, rape and consensual sex in marriage. It was very entertaining and well performed though it had dramatic moments that some of my students found hard to cope with.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQF9wUp5uWpy0tBKYAkxauBbBZWYdHHlKynDROjBBe06ApL8v0hE8XyTyT6C1EDPMP_Aj8lTH0x5oxtHaQ9emsQbKMGfvcE-Uy2zqWXk8SkZPlR0vjS_NPLAKvhdvWy7Opy3IKBFrHpsx4KHDRq5FiI-E-MUmKqRWjEvX-ft1Y16JTdzp6inPBLNDG/s927/IMG-20220602-WA0018.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQF9wUp5uWpy0tBKYAkxauBbBZWYdHHlKynDROjBBe06ApL8v0hE8XyTyT6C1EDPMP_Aj8lTH0x5oxtHaQ9emsQbKMGfvcE-Uy2zqWXk8SkZPlR0vjS_NPLAKvhdvWy7Opy3IKBFrHpsx4KHDRq5FiI-E-MUmKqRWjEvX-ft1Y16JTdzp6inPBLNDG/s320/IMG-20220602-WA0018.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I am also working on my new collection, <i>Workwear</i>, which will be published soon by The High Window. My daughter will compose the cover and I am putting together all the sections, blurbs, acknowledgements and dedications. The launching will probably be in the autumn, in September or October, on zoom and the book will be publicised on The High Window website and on my website too. In this new collection there are poems about my mother and my grandmothers, on food and family ties as in my previous book, <i>Negotiating Caponata</i>. However, <i>Workwear</i> has a wider perspective and has more poems. Besides a section on the pandemic, some of the poems respond to other poets’ work, such as Sylvia Plath’s, and to social and political issues, such as Trump’s wall, immigration, otherness, abuse and ageing. There is a sequence on my autistic daughter Valentina that retraces her story and the story of our family from her adoption to the diagnosis of autism in 2008 and her move to a residential school. Every time I read the sequence I feel as if it is happening again and when I visit her at weekends and see how lively and how happy she is, I feel we did the right thing. The collection is dedicated to my granddaughter Violetta who is a joy and a blessing.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was flabbergasted by the splendid catwalk of Valentino at Trinità de’ Monti in the centre of Rome and Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda display in Sicily. The outfits are so elegant, precious, varied and the settings are ravishing. Here are the links to know more:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eJvnKwGThw"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eJvnKwGThw</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/events/dolce-gabbana-alta-moda-show-helen-mirren-mariah-carey-2022/?WT.mc_id=e_DM8379&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FAM_New_ES&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_FAM_New_ES20220713&utm_campaign=DM8379"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/events/dolce-gabbana-alta-moda-show-helen-mirren-mariah-carey-2022/?WT.mc_id=e_DM8379&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FAM_New_ES&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_FAM_New_ES20220713&utm_campaign=DM8379</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWeuXIHA2Q8zokUh3GkYwwfdG1sWalDEuT54ktFMxGZr7YX5pYoRB0vLcwH-riJYxhOOr0Q9D-cgrfAfbTTIzQL6H-G24UwtVspLf-b0LjGuxt_2visIzdgOo3-spSDT0fOceUlt3UfpwQVCKHjiThOUpRmzz-bKqZJOAa7Dmh1e9-tJ5DH7c91Sf/s944/abortion2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="944" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWeuXIHA2Q8zokUh3GkYwwfdG1sWalDEuT54ktFMxGZr7YX5pYoRB0vLcwH-riJYxhOOr0Q9D-cgrfAfbTTIzQL6H-G24UwtVspLf-b0LjGuxt_2visIzdgOo3-spSDT0fOceUlt3UfpwQVCKHjiThOUpRmzz-bKqZJOAa7Dmh1e9-tJ5DH7c91Sf/w200-h174/abortion2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The problem of abortion in the US still shocks me. It is a terrible backlash which means that acquired rights are never guaranteed; we need to fight for them again and again. America is divided on abortion laws. Apparently half of the states will restrict the regulations to the limit of 14 weeks with no exception for rape or incest, or ban it completely though the majority of American people are in favour of abortion with some restrictions. Women will be forced to travel to the states that allow abortion or to other countries such as the UK. It seems absurd that in the US people can easily buy firearms and kill people in the street and in schools but the life of unborn children is strictly protected. Here is a link to an interesting and thorough essay on the history of abortion in the US by Jia Tolentino in the New Yorker:<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/essay/is-abortion-sacred">https://www.newyorker.com/culture/essay/is-abortion-sacred</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCaVRD1ct_eaShMuYe-5JWoUddjCTQSXYk4l9dyVdfCgrYNfsVc3P_8G6uVWxglB-p1lhJbUaQ1Kb3xohgOimBn1x9EfCS62yzX-iFe3UlGtPlAmUpNBCjSnV--M0viVlgQXrW2U7nI_SPNc6SYatHwZ4gXe7T4_m42bNG9klcXqIvJi9wlpmJbKC/s1200/FXXipm5XgAELlht.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1200" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCaVRD1ct_eaShMuYe-5JWoUddjCTQSXYk4l9dyVdfCgrYNfsVc3P_8G6uVWxglB-p1lhJbUaQ1Kb3xohgOimBn1x9EfCS62yzX-iFe3UlGtPlAmUpNBCjSnV--M0viVlgQXrW2U7nI_SPNc6SYatHwZ4gXe7T4_m42bNG9klcXqIvJi9wlpmJbKC/s320/FXXipm5XgAELlht.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Both in Italy and in the UK, we are having an unstable political interval. In Italy the Five Stars refused to vote for a package in the Senate, provoking a crisis in the government coalition. Mario Draghi, the PM, resigned but his resignation was not accepted by the president Mattarella. So they need to see next week if they can form a new government with enough votes and if Draghi accepts it, otherwise they will go to the ballot and have a general election in the Autumn. The next general elections should be in about a year and I suspect that the right-wing coalition will win. In the UK we finally had the resignation of Boris Johnson and then the race for the succession as leader of the Tories and as PM. It will take until the beginning of September for the changing of the roles while Boris will linger, maybe suggesting the winning candidate. Taxes, inflation, the rise of prices and lack of affordable houses seem to be the main issues. Three names are the most probable: Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss. This situation adds more uncertainty to the times we are experiencing and have experienced in the past few years: Brexit, Covid, stagnation, inflation, rise of fuel and food prices, strikes, flight disruptions, a possible new Covid wave in autumn and monkeypox. Will we have a break at some point? I hope so.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-r7DAZIHng8BtB7mOXnNQ5ZV-AFbluS52tT43evKdWHi2YOmI_DhFrmzK7VtJOjtqVBrHnjVqUArDdMH0vukFJPTJDEmSCZCExRwn2tl__JuMrSTXJHX6TdXLUr_UCfoAJbeQLoC2e6W95_2iqhAIz2bBjbylCDb63Lnx030r8tsJSpDViLdFXMq4/s1200/65Giue2j.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-r7DAZIHng8BtB7mOXnNQ5ZV-AFbluS52tT43evKdWHi2YOmI_DhFrmzK7VtJOjtqVBrHnjVqUArDdMH0vukFJPTJDEmSCZCExRwn2tl__JuMrSTXJHX6TdXLUr_UCfoAJbeQLoC2e6W95_2iqhAIz2bBjbylCDb63Lnx030r8tsJSpDViLdFXMq4/w200-h113/65Giue2j.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I didn’t follow Wimbledon but I am enjoying the Women’s Football European Championship. Unfortunately, I cannot attend the matches at the stadiums but when I do watch them on the TV with my crochet and a Moretti in the evening to relax. Italy seems to be out as it is at the bottom of the group, so I am supporting England. The lioness squad is doing very well. They are swift, professional, brave and pretty. They deserve to win the trophy though there is still a long way to go and some of the other teams are very strong too, such as France and Germany. Here is a link to the updates:<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.uefa.com/womenseuro/">https://www.uefa.com/womenseuro/</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some of my poems have been recently published in the summer issue of BeZine, here is the link: <a href="https://thebezine.com/portfolio/carla-scarano-dantonio/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://thebezine.com/portfolio/carla-scarano-dantonio/</span></a></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And more poems have been accepted by Pulsar Poetry, Ink, Sweat & Tears and Obsessed With Piperwork.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I made fruit and nut loaves using Mary Berry’s basic recipe, here is the link: <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9k83Z2oTPT1_Oimsun4nkzeKLPCNILNgQIujNaM8X_VWnx0gIZZf-whJ0FagUvnYTmUO0zC3nJqVBk5a9O_eLn3fft775UvRyP0GyYKgdzIim5Jxdi5Jn8HTVipYDtF9OlYf5q19zQD4Qh9Oc_NpiI3OPEfzoU0vXA7_cfj4dOp5tp0sfbKGQfDKM/s1000/Tea%20loaves%20Mary%20Berry.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9k83Z2oTPT1_Oimsun4nkzeKLPCNILNgQIujNaM8X_VWnx0gIZZf-whJ0FagUvnYTmUO0zC3nJqVBk5a9O_eLn3fft775UvRyP0GyYKgdzIim5Jxdi5Jn8HTVipYDtF9OlYf5q19zQD4Qh9Oc_NpiI3OPEfzoU0vXA7_cfj4dOp5tp0sfbKGQfDKM/w150-h200/Tea%20loaves%20Mary%20Berry.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/banana_and_chocolate_74784"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/banana_and_chocolate_74784</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They were delicious and can be made adding whatever you fancy, fresh and/or dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, cream, yogurt, cinnamon, etc.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here are some recipes with sour cream I particularly enjoyed during this summertime:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Lemon sour cream cake</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEGZdIj3bSmboJJc03pwEbLcnBYSGGbJzYI4NOGsi_-HIEPS3b-SluvaJYDmGyLHCJ43PIPIJ50H0SQfe7HFKsBwH-P9fvSt4UrVxTMrshf9_CnZCwn_C_xZ7FBrVNVUdGdlV3U5gzUcu_-wUUkeOjC3dM6PmJUbUy8UcUKjCsHGfY25VJfpv0Grk/s1000/sourncream%20lemoncake.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEGZdIj3bSmboJJc03pwEbLcnBYSGGbJzYI4NOGsi_-HIEPS3b-SluvaJYDmGyLHCJ43PIPIJ50H0SQfe7HFKsBwH-P9fvSt4UrVxTMrshf9_CnZCwn_C_xZ7FBrVNVUdGdlV3U5gzUcu_-wUUkeOjC3dM6PmJUbUy8UcUKjCsHGfY25VJfpv0Grk/w200-h150/sourncream%20lemoncake.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the cake you need: 250 g of self-raising flour, 150 g of sugar, 200 g of sour cream, two eggs, a pinch of salt, one tsp of baking powder, ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda, 100 g of soft butter, the grated zest of a lemon, the juice of half a lemon.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the glaze you need: the juice of half a lemon, 100 g of sour cream, 50 g of sugar, 50 g of melted butter.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix the butter and the sugar, add the egg yolks and then the rest of the ingredients except for the whites of the eggs. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and add to the mixture. Bake the cake in a greased donut tin cake for 30-45 minutes at 180 C. Prepare the glaze warming all the ingredients in a pan and chill it for half an hour. Cut the cake in slices and place them in a rectangular glass dish. Finally pour the sour cream mixture on the slices and chill for half an hour before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chocolate sour cream cake<br /></span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the cake you need: 250 g of self-raising flour, 100 g of cornflour, 100 g of cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, one tsp of baking powder, ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda, 200 g of sugar, four eggs, 200 g of sour cream, three tbsp of olive oil, half a glass of milk.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj398L5fKqGpqlWAQh7w0PTebzHtZ0ajaZRMnQOfzOWrYW5d0qoUzmVAi1qXobxLrlabNAqiQTxOGpQTNZ_WwftRQCnlS9nHNBxfccBO2FaDm-5Xg7FCtK-RxlD3R-9SyObWk2jtrccxRzit4HAAYjPaaFVUIczJ7iFGPLNfwGL_Ljft9iyzwkmwL0C/s750/Chocolate%20sour%20cream%20cake.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="750" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj398L5fKqGpqlWAQh7w0PTebzHtZ0ajaZRMnQOfzOWrYW5d0qoUzmVAi1qXobxLrlabNAqiQTxOGpQTNZ_WwftRQCnlS9nHNBxfccBO2FaDm-5Xg7FCtK-RxlD3R-9SyObWk2jtrccxRzit4HAAYjPaaFVUIczJ7iFGPLNfwGL_Ljft9iyzwkmwL0C/w200-h186/Chocolate%20sour%20cream%20cake.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">For the chocolate icing you need: 200 g of dark chocolate, 200 g of sour cream, two tbsp of golden syrup.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need 250 g of whipping cream, one tbsp of sugar, two tbsp of the chocolate icing (see above).</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Whisk the eggs with the sugar for 5-10 minutes. Add the olive oil, the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda mixed in the milk. Fold in the rest of the ingredients. Bake the cake in a greased tin cake for 30-45 minutes at 180 C. Let it cool and prepare the icing warming all the ingredients in a pan. Prepare the filling whipping the cream with the sugar and finally add two tbsp of the chocolate icing. Cut the cake in half and wet each half with milk mixed with water. Spread the cream filling on the base and cover it with the other half of the cake. Finally spread the icing evenly on the top of the cake. Chill for one hour before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Ice cream with strawberries, sour cream and buttermilk</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWc-r-cd3zyDr6Hi06iQlyIz5s4GAW1VdFxFVR_lhFpqM1RDlVGRKoG5FGdkhshriGIDvvDzj5bZN_Enr1r1ofDeNcRiSwz1bPNtCWaRZZfmB7pOB9ENaAra9ZkdgkvLjQTdHeE5HPhqoZaAZm9ULTZ4uDj189EGEDKQJS9GPmQznBxBP5e2YcrU5/s1000/sour%20cream%20and%20buttermilk%20ice%20cream.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWc-r-cd3zyDr6Hi06iQlyIz5s4GAW1VdFxFVR_lhFpqM1RDlVGRKoG5FGdkhshriGIDvvDzj5bZN_Enr1r1ofDeNcRiSwz1bPNtCWaRZZfmB7pOB9ENaAra9ZkdgkvLjQTdHeE5HPhqoZaAZm9ULTZ4uDj189EGEDKQJS9GPmQznBxBP5e2YcrU5/w200-h150/sour%20cream%20and%20buttermilk%20ice%20cream.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 500 g of strawberries, 150 g of sugar, the juice of a lemon, a pinch of salt, 300 g of buttermilk, 150 g of sour cream.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cut the edge of the strawberries and chop them. Blend the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a food processor to a purée. In a bowl mix the strawberries with the buttermilk, the sour cream and the salt. Pour the mixture in a container and freeze overnight or for about 24 hours. Take the ice cream out of the freezer and break the ice from time to time.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">No-bake strawberry tart with sour cream and lemon curd</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9AXohnFs3wwlA-MaixLb8flLsP-dG02qgeg2hoxWKfmotknmr9L9KmoL3ZVwlDj0scKkwO1DdYbECMXEtvBo7qGm7EtdkCPDKtgl_k7EPwLIQ5Tx09UkG21ZfXXRDaxCtRsIWZBhdZXt9wIoARHKGy6M6g63bGbP3u0aJ3fKyS4Y-Y_OygdsFWJC/s1000/tart%20with%20strawberries%20greek%20yougurt%20and%20lemon%20curd.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9AXohnFs3wwlA-MaixLb8flLsP-dG02qgeg2hoxWKfmotknmr9L9KmoL3ZVwlDj0scKkwO1DdYbECMXEtvBo7qGm7EtdkCPDKtgl_k7EPwLIQ5Tx09UkG21ZfXXRDaxCtRsIWZBhdZXt9wIoARHKGy6M6g63bGbP3u0aJ3fKyS4Y-Y_OygdsFWJC/w200-h150/tart%20with%20strawberries%20greek%20yougurt%20and%20lemon%20curd.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 400 of shortbread, 200 g of melted white chocolate, 300 g of lemon curd, 200 g of sour cream, 300 g of chopped strawberries, four leaves of gelatine.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Crush the biscuits into crumbs and stir in the melted chocolate. Press the mixture into a round tin cake lined with parchment paper and chill for half an hour. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes then squeeze them and add some warm water, then stir until the gelatine melts. Mix the lemon curd with the cream and add the gelatine. Spread the cream mixture on the base of the cake and finally scatter the strawberries on top. Chill for 3-4 hours before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Have a lovely summer 🌻🌞</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I will be back with my blog in September.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-59610352982605858542022-07-03T23:59:00.001-07:002022-07-03T23:59:40.865-07:00My Graduation Ceremony<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last Thursday I finally had my PhD graduation ceremony, which was postponed because of Covid. The weather was unstable; it drizzled and then rained but finally sunny spells prevailed. My day started early as I had to be at the London Campus in Reading about two hours before the ceremony started. Everything was perfectly organised and the instructions were very clear and sent in advance. Smart clothing was required, no jeans or trainers, so I decided for navy blue trousers and a blouse with a colourful purple scarf and glass beads necklace with matching earrings. For shoes I opted for comfortable black and grey sandals with a medium heel but I forgot to apply nail polish to my toes. I felt a bit tense but also very proud of wearing the purple gown and black beret of the degree of Doctor in Philosophy. We were supposed to be five PhD students but three</span><span class="s1" style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">chose to graduate in absence.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJxlepXWBYAdPFq6XfHX3LV1R_alGb1OYu1WHtoimc0AFXUVwuV-3bV8vqggVZ6iuQhV3P4UDo4inKZIcujn2eHZBoQafivIfh75SyPT9ympC1x1dQ7nFnKknxpUgZqpXCGVmL1p07j45cuoQYQ_aWArxVQuJzksquYP2XxhSVBv7ghBwZtFn6YES/s1000/IMG_20220630_104901_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJxlepXWBYAdPFq6XfHX3LV1R_alGb1OYu1WHtoimc0AFXUVwuV-3bV8vqggVZ6iuQhV3P4UDo4inKZIcujn2eHZBoQafivIfh75SyPT9ympC1x1dQ7nFnKknxpUgZqpXCGVmL1p07j45cuoQYQ_aWArxVQuJzksquYP2XxhSVBv7ghBwZtFn6YES/s320/IMG_20220630_104901_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQNud3kLhO9Fg-6KBKjCfFhocbzIF4ATTVG4ARfj6A3328g4wkoGSODERC02fFHZvApNZNZqX4okfC7ruj5N0kWsxBZNjo0J3XjQn_Uly7Yx1kh8AXZoVphhjbdKwhhx0xd46RR68oLqSkyc4R3nGXZ1hbLPUJEdb2tvZcYB9BiK-ykYv2-0CTuLu/s1000/IMG_20220630_131724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQNud3kLhO9Fg-6KBKjCfFhocbzIF4ATTVG4ARfj6A3328g4wkoGSODERC02fFHZvApNZNZqX4okfC7ruj5N0kWsxBZNjo0J3XjQn_Uly7Yx1kh8AXZoVphhjbdKwhhx0xd46RR68oLqSkyc4R3nGXZ1hbLPUJEdb2tvZcYB9BiK-ykYv2-0CTuLu/s320/IMG_20220630_131724.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The ceremony was simple and solemn at the same time. The vice-Chancellor introduced the celebration, we lined up and stepped to the stage when our names were called, doffed our cap to the vice-chancellor and went to take our places on stage. The other PhD student and I sat on stage while the BA students went back to their places behind the audience. We all graduated in English literature, mostly girls or women, a few were Asian or Black and there was also a Scottish guy wearing a kilt. Dresses were covered by the gown, so the most noticeable part of the outfit was the shoes, all high heels or chunky heel sandals that looked quite unstable. No wonder that some of the girls wobbled up and down the stairs to the stage. We all looked excited and happy to see our achievements celebrated. Being at the University of Reading again reminded me of all the work I carried out for my PhD and how much I learned during the course. My supervisors, Madeleine Davies and Peter Stoneley, were super as well as the examiners, Mary Morrissey and Fiona Tolan. Mary was present at the ceremony and congratulated with me at the end. I must confess I feel it is an important goal, something I did at the right time in my life when family commitments were less pressing, and I therefore had more time to pursue my passions. I know that my PhD studies improved my research skills, my understanding of literary criticism and literature and my writing as well. The whole process was so engrossing that now that it is over, I am doing my best to carry on with my studies and my writing.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHimfFNaOqXcPnP_5SvwES1l8eaj1fP_EJrIqJpjprz1cyIlc6f719oZO91vCU4KLMH8cP5XsLvSv1p2rlI1A7a1GjSj6x0NsIlVaCSaIwZ6BzVF4gJQubKmHbgZtxDOymO2XmSbmrbihD_IQU6gRwgIhtxdfY-01lqxNjB8zDWvmuSyaS00IEpQvF/s1000/new%20crochet%20jair%20pins%20charms%20and%20mandala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHimfFNaOqXcPnP_5SvwES1l8eaj1fP_EJrIqJpjprz1cyIlc6f719oZO91vCU4KLMH8cP5XsLvSv1p2rlI1A7a1GjSj6x0NsIlVaCSaIwZ6BzVF4gJQubKmHbgZtxDOymO2XmSbmrbihD_IQU6gRwgIhtxdfY-01lqxNjB8zDWvmuSyaS00IEpQvF/s320/new%20crochet%20jair%20pins%20charms%20and%20mandala.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">My plan for the next few months is to write some more reviews and articles on topics and authors I like. I will visit my sons in the north and have a day in London to see some exhibitions and maybe attend a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. I am planning more crochet works, perhaps a new post-box installation with sunflowers inspired my Maria Primachenko’s flowers and some crocheted mandala, charms and hairpins I am making for friends and family I am going to visit during the summer. I would also like to visit Wisley Gardens to take inspiration from the display of flowers and plants for my paintings.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8Maq4o6UEcZyA9P-b7biq_WKnjKisp-PhTx-s8XtEyCIbIhWxM-3lstFV-CnxMevKbfj4Na1K5NJdCUzJuDUdLPJB8qWeerDaP4GTVSl62t0FJei2SftMoiamPZSA5b4TQfuMaFjwa6RZSMRca3ltUpN7WY-3vaJ5VvuSZiWiL5Zgst2d5uv5O59/s1000/IMG_20220703_192606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8Maq4o6UEcZyA9P-b7biq_WKnjKisp-PhTx-s8XtEyCIbIhWxM-3lstFV-CnxMevKbfj4Na1K5NJdCUzJuDUdLPJB8qWeerDaP4GTVSl62t0FJei2SftMoiamPZSA5b4TQfuMaFjwa6RZSMRca3ltUpN7WY-3vaJ5VvuSZiWiL5Zgst2d5uv5O59/w150-h200/IMG_20220703_192606.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Last week I also attended two open mics, one at The Lightbox in Woking and another one at the Adelaide pub in Twickenham. Most of the fellow poets of the area were present and some of my friends from the Woking Writers Circle too. We had a good time together, chatting, catching up on our health and family life, and above all listening and cheering each other’s poetry. At the Adelaide they read poems from the Poetry Performance’s new anthology, <i>Poems for Ukraine</i>, which will be launched in September. The poems are poignant and moving and the edition looks superb.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Last Wednesday I met some of my fellow poets at The Keep in Guildford for the Guildford Fringe. The event was Robert Garnham’s performance <i>Yay! The search for Happiness, </i>a brilliant gig. I reviewed his book about a year ago, here is the link:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=116602"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=116602</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And I am looking forward to reading his new collection, <i>Woodview</i> (Beatnpress). His poems have an interesting sad undertone but are great fun too and convey great vitality. I joined the <i>Shackalakaboomboom</i> chanting and especially enjoyed ‘Seaside Serenade’, so typically and tenderly English with the lukewarm tea and chocolate digestives. The search for happiness seems simple and unattainable at the same time; maybe it is a compromise with our inner self and Yay! here we are to face life and enjoy it after all.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Rcq-xVw6hGVnLvmmxx2eq3QhWj2lVk4lKNbSafhSItgnZtKnnv9tt158K9okdtFq7mfA3Olq8MivLG_zFwMxAERZh9ZRKyy0AHF0V4LmUPZLDLCI6mbfyph_IEq12DLY9dgTQcEg1cgh2fnTXW01erI0WItNE4S2EyLanu50UsrbzaVa2B_3ATE7/s900/FWeyIwfWIAA4JiF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Rcq-xVw6hGVnLvmmxx2eq3QhWj2lVk4lKNbSafhSItgnZtKnnv9tt158K9okdtFq7mfA3Olq8MivLG_zFwMxAERZh9ZRKyy0AHF0V4LmUPZLDLCI6mbfyph_IEq12DLY9dgTQcEg1cgh2fnTXW01erI0WItNE4S2EyLanu50UsrbzaVa2B_3ATE7/s320/FWeyIwfWIAA4JiF.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The final poem, ‘Be Yourself’, is a celebration of life in its subtle ordinariness expressing a sense of belonging and also the awareness of being part of a community. Here is the link to the trailer of the show:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrRWXWQgasY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrRWXWQgasY</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and to the poem:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://professorofwhimsy.com/2021/08/29/be-yourself/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://professorofwhimsy.com/2021/08/29/be-yourself/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Robert will be at the Edinburgh Free Fringe from the 14th August to the 21st at 8.15, here is the link to book the tickets: <a href="https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/robert-garnham-yay"><span class="s4" style="color: #0563c1;">https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/robert-garnham-yay</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a busy wonderful week full of excitement, rewarding moments and great fun. I am looking forward to my holidays to catch up on my writing, painting and crochet. I long to meet my family and friends and recharge my energies after a year of hard work but also interesting opportunities and new discoveries.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-22918766686457854612022-06-19T14:10:00.003-07:002022-06-19T14:15:00.485-07:00Reviews, poetry workshops and artworks<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuG7Y9nadoCwl-wwGhXQ299XcHey-8bBdTjri7YdHF4vHD-foWjHYnQNl2dEMrr2ICZJbl1zNR_EPaWkBfhqjwMzRO_W5mzrBkvM-4pWKEZwHrEsilgFkxJNgGbYroMa8shksgDzi4i16If7MVsy4s1aeqosNy_fC8GagTLalnUUEYXC6ljV-wBi6/s4000/IMG_20220605_132420.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuG7Y9nadoCwl-wwGhXQ299XcHey-8bBdTjri7YdHF4vHD-foWjHYnQNl2dEMrr2ICZJbl1zNR_EPaWkBfhqjwMzRO_W5mzrBkvM-4pWKEZwHrEsilgFkxJNgGbYroMa8shksgDzi4i16If7MVsy4s1aeqosNy_fC8GagTLalnUUEYXC6ljV-wBi6/s320/IMG_20220605_132420.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the past few weeks, I was very busy with my research on Margaret Atwood’s work and some academic articles I needed to complete for two conferences, the Accute annual conference in Canada and the conference at Marburg Centre for Canadian Studies in Germany. I participated online and presented my papers. For the Accute conference I wrote a paper on Margaret Atwood’s latest poetry collections, that is, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Morning in the Burned House</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (1995), </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Door</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (2007) and </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dearly</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (2020). After the conference, I decided to submit my article to the </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">British Journal of Canadian Studies</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">; it was accepted and now I am making some minor changes after the peer review. The paper I wrote for the Marburg conference, ‘The Heroine’s Journey: Trespassing and Transgressing B/orders in Margaret Atwood’s Work’, was about the heroines’ journeys in some of Margaret Atwood’s novels such as </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Surfacing</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Handmaid’s Tale</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> and </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Testaments</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> in connection with the concept of personal, societal and national b/orders. I will probably submit it to a Canadian journal as well in the future. In the meantime, my article on </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Testaments, ‘The Testaments: an intertextual dialogue between witnessing and storytelling’, was accepted by </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Margaret Atwood Studies Journal</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> and I have just revised it after their feedback and submitted it again. The whole process of research, writing and revising was so engaging that I was completely absorbed in it for a few months. It was fascinating to go back to my studies and read more about Margaret Atwood.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Her work is so stimulating that it inspired my creative writing too. I wrote a few poems prompted by her poetry during workshops that I attended with Tears in the Fence and Second Light Spring festival. The new poems are about relationships, my Italian heritage and connections with the environment. I also had a tutoring session with Hannah Lowe after the launching of her new pamphlets <i>Rock, Bird, Butterfly</i> and <i>Old Friends</i> (Hercules Editions) which gave me new perspectives from which to look at my work. Talking with my friend and tutor Dawn Wood, I realised that what is important in my creative process is not only reading and writing, which can be called the intellectual side, but it is above all important to experience life, that is, meeting people, visiting places, working, practicing hobbies and sports, being part of groups, etc. These activities trigger new ideas and root my work in everyday life, a realism that relates my creative work to people. Some ideas about my poetry are in the interview that the wonderful Heather Moulson posted on her website, here is the link <span style="color: red;">😍</span>:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCXqAs55CJPXVm-Nrb-NPMfvQ887NlQCfgjgEiA4UUciyPyjn5Cr4xmxMRL5o9fBgTjsB2PdjEy8JZlKH5v-0QUWw1RVwX7h8EB4QFPCB5jd2QYRbha2DjDgLBCfJOTK97MRhXMzIwN-yJs1KrJtPbRSu9Fnm8sU_tL_5WaJ4kCVmVONq7tOXdcWv/s814/Heather%20and%20me.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="814" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCXqAs55CJPXVm-Nrb-NPMfvQ887NlQCfgjgEiA4UUciyPyjn5Cr4xmxMRL5o9fBgTjsB2PdjEy8JZlKH5v-0QUWw1RVwX7h8EB4QFPCB5jd2QYRbha2DjDgLBCfJOTK97MRhXMzIwN-yJs1KrJtPbRSu9Fnm8sU_tL_5WaJ4kCVmVONq7tOXdcWv/s320/Heather%20and%20me.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://heathermoulsonpoet.com/2022/06/13/interview-19/?fbclid=IwAR1Z9wtQkAZ6xwgCckvZSHqAKpla5gFwp6r418hA4jmjAX8T0AgvV6LbpDc"><span class="s3">https://heathermoulsonpoet.com/2022/06/13/interview-19/?fbclid=IwAR1Z9wtQkAZ6xwgCckvZSHqAKpla5gFwp6r418hA4jmjAX8T0AgvV6LbpDc</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Heather perfectly summarised my thoughts giving me voice and space. This connection with Heather also gave me the opportunity to read my poems at Poetry Performance last Friday. It was a tremendous experience though I felt a bit tense during the event. Clive Rowland asked me some questions about my creative process and my favourite poets before I started my reading, which was a great opportunity to speak about my creative writing practice and about what inspires me. I chose to read some poems from my publications, <i>A Winding Road</i> and <i>Negotiating Caponata</i>, as well as some new poems. Here are a few examples:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Palisade</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">After Alice Maher, portrait</span></i></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I erected a palisade around my face</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPjLOYOBwwL08blTt1sWzKewW1J_VqkGgjP5W9AK_VJv0UNHiLMzjKwkzMzokQ-CUhl9J3KV_loDhunERmeYcP2Vt06uoXm0WgpzCVTVbMJ4iWjDFiy78RtFCcD5ldseKRx8ih82mTbMe2IBPl1s9C_dj2FpH6BDr9I7qwQv9Oemji-P3uD6s20WJ/s225/maher.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPjLOYOBwwL08blTt1sWzKewW1J_VqkGgjP5W9AK_VJv0UNHiLMzjKwkzMzokQ-CUhl9J3KV_loDhunERmeYcP2Vt06uoXm0WgpzCVTVbMJ4iWjDFiy78RtFCcD5ldseKRx8ih82mTbMe2IBPl1s9C_dj2FpH6BDr9I7qwQv9Oemji-P3uD6s20WJ/s1600/maher.jpg" width="225" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">to contain my thoughts,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">it is made of young twigs</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">with pointed sprouts at the tips,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">they are tied by a string to form a fence</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">a stiff collar that keeps my head upright,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">holds my mouth closed but lets me breathe.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I erected a palisade around my face,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the cut ends dig into my skin</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">keeping me safe.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">My mother</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Last night I dreamed of my mother,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">her soft light touch on my face.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">She said, <i>I had some free time and came here</i>.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was melting in her tenderness</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">under the touch of her smooth old fingers,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">her cheerful voice moved,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">almost in tears.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Why did you come here?</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">What happened?</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But she didn’t reply,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">only her love surrounded me</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">as if it was the last time.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And I drank it</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">with dry lips.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Words are good</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">‘Words dry and riderless’</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sylvia Plath, <i>Words</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The echo of the inexpressible</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">appears among lines</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">carving what I don’t know yet</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">configuration of signs.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Are words good enough?</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We feel to use them literally.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What’s my pleasure in using words?</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I encounter them on a journey</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">of recovery,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">reimagining the past</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in a memoir of self-discovery</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">turning at last<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">to the bottom of the pool.</span></p><p class="p4" style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also published some art and poetry reviews in the past months on the online magazines I usually contribute to, here are the links:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jennifer Militello, <i>The Pact</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38-i3kKizjqNDfb6vaLR29zlFh6zIXZbscJyAWV8HlXPPY1d38UJmYmTs9dx2F-cWHx-_pn4_J0iz4n3flXATWmZ2OOw3n07AEkH5hbtF_5jHe4KtIuTZ8v7RGrGYz2aOKu1Ks05lYzzIGyrvmtwCd4YIIfUOuxUqhP7R504VGmBuTgcibu2mkr9K/s275/the%20pact.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38-i3kKizjqNDfb6vaLR29zlFh6zIXZbscJyAWV8HlXPPY1d38UJmYmTs9dx2F-cWHx-_pn4_J0iz4n3flXATWmZ2OOw3n07AEkH5hbtF_5jHe4KtIuTZ8v7RGrGYz2aOKu1Ks05lYzzIGyrvmtwCd4YIIfUOuxUqhP7R504VGmBuTgcibu2mkr9K/w133-h200/the%20pact.jpg" width="133" /></a></i></span></div><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/04/27/the-pact-by-jennifer-militello-shearsman-books/">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/04/27/the-pact-by-jennifer-militello-shearsman-books/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Leela Soma, <i>Chintz</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=122000">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=122000</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Charlotte Oliver, <i>How to Be a Dressing Gown</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=121352">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=121352</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Finola Scott, <i>Count the Ways</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=120899">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=120899</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Clare Morris, <i>There</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=122279">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=122279</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sheila Heti, <i>Pure Colour</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgav2d_fG18L5OODH9DkeFVZx9O6HHKxj_0jYhoKi9anGAu0nq3Ci9g6k_JgZtUsaYjkZPJqa97ZE_CNSJu2QF9gDM0WsqLQSEpUYnRGyl0dCeaovpzacJ_fyXholhTuSSyIll7xBJGsAawdAeeG2v7H7FBX2ArLtXzKEKoYZilwmTyMUwOh-W8GdbC/s278/Heti%20pure%20colour.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgav2d_fG18L5OODH9DkeFVZx9O6HHKxj_0jYhoKi9anGAu0nq3Ci9g6k_JgZtUsaYjkZPJqa97ZE_CNSJu2QF9gDM0WsqLQSEpUYnRGyl0dCeaovpzacJ_fyXholhTuSSyIll7xBJGsAawdAeeG2v7H7FBX2ArLtXzKEKoYZilwmTyMUwOh-W8GdbC/w130-h200/Heti%20pure%20colour.jpg" width="130" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetemzreview.com/review-carla-scarano-dantanio-heti.html"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.thetemzreview.com/review-carla-scarano-dantanio-heti.html</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Barbara Hickson, <i>A Kind of Silence</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/04/london-grip-poetry-review-barbara-hickson/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/04/london-grip-poetry-review-barbara-hickson/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Crazy: The Madness of Contemporary Art</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/04/crazy-the-madness-of-contemporary-art-review-by-carla-scarano/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/04/crazy-the-madness-of-contemporary-art-review-by-carla-scarano/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Surrealism Beyond the Borders</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.litromagazine.com/arts-and-culture/exhibition-review-surrealism-beyond-borders/">https://www.litromagazine.com/arts-and-culture/exhibition-review-surrealism-beyond-borders/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fashioning Masculinities</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/05/fashioning-masculinities-the-art-of-menswear-va-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=225&wppa-photo=4460">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/05/fashioning-masculinities-the-art-of-menswear-va-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=225&wppa-photo=4460</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">The Works of Gwerful Mechain</span></i></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2022/">https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2022/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">William Crozier: Nature into Abstraction</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/05/25/william-crozier-nature-into-abstraction/">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/05/25/william-crozier-nature-into-abstraction/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pratibha Castle, <i>A Triptych of birds & a few loose feathers</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/05/london-grip-poetry-review-pratibha-castle/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/05/london-grip-poetry-review-pratibha-castle/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rosie Jackson, <i>Light Makes It Easy</i> (South Poetry 65)</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Alison Binney, <i>Other Women’s Kitchens</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xiLAHHnP6h7Pzdo0UcrOuGyzr8v1d_b96jlqPJ5DdD15ZVgqjfRVoeKbK5WWWErfSA8_osfu5AJo7emzhY3ag9NvjEM5wAxuyUoOzL2bkbBeAEpzfNhyQtA8IdxjpCcL8V1CJsUv34vs-UdmRBirw4sr9RpYotkqI8lE9ZccntYToMpwMlGISn6i/s1527/cover%20Dreich.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1527" data-original-width="956" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xiLAHHnP6h7Pzdo0UcrOuGyzr8v1d_b96jlqPJ5DdD15ZVgqjfRVoeKbK5WWWErfSA8_osfu5AJo7emzhY3ag9NvjEM5wAxuyUoOzL2bkbBeAEpzfNhyQtA8IdxjpCcL8V1CJsUv34vs-UdmRBirw4sr9RpYotkqI8lE9ZccntYToMpwMlGISn6i/w125-h200/cover%20Dreich.jpeg" width="125" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/2022/03/20/reviews-for-spring-2022/%22%20%5Cl%20%22Alison%20Binney">https://thehighwindowpress.com/2022/03/20/reviews-for-spring-2022/#Alison%20Binney</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some of my poems have been published by <i>Dreich</i>, Season 4 n. 5, Toasted Cheese:<br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/2022/22-1/two-poems-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/">https://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/2022/22-1/two-poems-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and more poems have been accepted for the summer issue of <i>BeZine</i> magazine.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogoyW04-T8iEf2A-a3NJZD46LMHK-5Q-8f6snN77zdm1WdlJkTVcP2bisEEix7eYINyupzQ6Hyd2amJohag3KkgRTHmrLJ9RqnU4MjVPd54e6v1KdN6VMv4_6BD3JHT0VfdTdohpwlSjTNQjX9f5zthsIoMdhgqL0Fjij_UAWbwel3ibH-P_Evsa1/s1440/IMG_20220611_131034_042.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogoyW04-T8iEf2A-a3NJZD46LMHK-5Q-8f6snN77zdm1WdlJkTVcP2bisEEix7eYINyupzQ6Hyd2amJohag3KkgRTHmrLJ9RqnU4MjVPd54e6v1KdN6VMv4_6BD3JHT0VfdTdohpwlSjTNQjX9f5zthsIoMdhgqL0Fjij_UAWbwel3ibH-P_Evsa1/w200-h200/IMG_20220611_131034_042.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the past two weekends (11-2 and 18-19 June), I have been very busy with the SAOS (Surrey Artists Open Studios) at the Chobham Community Centre where I rented a room for my exhibition (<a href="https://surreyopenstudios.org.uk/open-studio/carlas-favourite-things/"><span class="s4" style="color: #0563c1;">https://surreyopenstudios.org.uk/open-studio/carlas-favourite-things/</span></a>). The place was on the first floor, spacious and bright. I could display most of my pictures, drawings, folios, cards as well as my crochet work and textiles. There was also space for the workshop for children in which they could create cards, puppets, masks and concertina booklets. Not many people turned up but some friends of mine came and supported me. Here is the link to the article that Greg Freeman generously wrote about my artwork and published on the Woking Writers Circle website <span style="color: red;">😃</span>:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjux-n0WLC9y17imo5Ia9mHOmNbkFi9bE7kvYXmU9gLJmQ6jr0vFNOEAky_WED-kX8aBIfIXO9Y6A0GB7kSZJlSdyu7w0f3fsdTRNnmmCbhXpUuxDRM4qQoC5zLPSdGbjnKoV5WxHGO5Zgc6KDgAiMX3udnBRVvKCeJii9_jZq5XQ3lceKZKcbnL-Y7/s1440/IMG_20220611_131034_100.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjux-n0WLC9y17imo5Ia9mHOmNbkFi9bE7kvYXmU9gLJmQ6jr0vFNOEAky_WED-kX8aBIfIXO9Y6A0GB7kSZJlSdyu7w0f3fsdTRNnmmCbhXpUuxDRM4qQoC5zLPSdGbjnKoV5WxHGO5Zgc6KDgAiMX3udnBRVvKCeJii9_jZq5XQ3lceKZKcbnL-Y7/w200-h200/IMG_20220611_131034_100.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/06/11/portrait-of-the-artist-the-many-talents-of-carla-scarano-dantonio-go-on-display/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/06/11/portrait-of-the-artist-the-many-talents-of-carla-scarano-dantonio-go-on-display/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">He came to visit my studio with his wife Gillian who is a painter too. I like her artwork that she posts on Facebook; she paints beautiful flowers and interesting landscapes. I especially like her collage work. She has talent and an original approach.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some friends from my yoga group visited my open studio as well and the children who attended the workshop were enthusiast about it, some of them even came twice. It was a wonderful experience that boosted my confidence in my artistic side that sometimes I neglect as I feel that there is no real reward. Having the possibility to exhibit my work and being appreciated by friends and other people who came to visit my open studio, stimulated me to produce new work such as crochet mandala, wreaths and charms, a series of cards with a poem and a painting and probably more wet-on-wet watercolour pictures that seem to be so popular.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the art world, Paula Rego’s obituary reminded me of her amazing art I saw at the Tate exhibition about a year ago. It was a comprehensive retrospective of her artwork with more than a hundred pieces. Here is the link to the review I wrote for London Grip:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FxFmXqhXBZ3Ed40FDBtUTcNFwTHG9GBK6OFooxkmuM7fMiBjcYjfS59jMFvZCTuzdWHzUV50PT-lfdclCpbd0NtoRTKSnoJWuWHfxYvkYZKzpVVdksXHwv0b0Ay5WKfHaeZ-ksQ1EbY_8GY9UFKQF4RZjt42LxdiZnWBYa6IW2M5y-nOlSviZ_S7/s150/3915.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="105" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FxFmXqhXBZ3Ed40FDBtUTcNFwTHG9GBK6OFooxkmuM7fMiBjcYjfS59jMFvZCTuzdWHzUV50PT-lfdclCpbd0NtoRTKSnoJWuWHfxYvkYZKzpVVdksXHwv0b0Ay5WKfHaeZ-ksQ1EbY_8GY9UFKQF4RZjt42LxdiZnWBYa6IW2M5y-nOlSviZ_S7/s1600/3915.jpeg" width="105" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/paula-rego-tate-britain-review-by-carla-scarano/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/paula-rego-tate-britain-review-by-carla-scarano/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here are the links to two obituaries:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dame-paula-rego-obituary-wf6scdz6w?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Best%20of%20Times%202022%20June%209&utm_term=audience_BEST_OF_TIMES"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dame-paula-rego-obituary-wf6scdz6w?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Best%20of%20Times%202022%20June%209&utm_term=audience_BEST_OF_TIMES</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/jun/08/paula-rego-jonathan-jones-tribute?utm_term=62a1704311c5432816b32829a230b58b&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUK&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUK_email"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/jun/08/paula-rego-jonathan-jones-tribute?utm_term=62a1704311c5432816b32829a230b58b&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUK&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUK_email</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To end my piece in the tastiest way, here are some recipes I have just experimented.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Flapjacks with white chocolate and berries</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyVrc2kjMySY9XqlpoD34xIyA4CckpO2LPxaYMDMAsXQtQ_xD_LnlGZDAgk3zgsDgzfiYbA1X0TYscVtJWORW1yW_hJGLz4aqbIrKPNnUhiPshey3ln-298TPdTaLE6mLWion51SaAkrgGEk7Bnutkoq23xcQIoqsDkbcz7XYQ1LAmmZBrpDLCTv2/s1000/flapjacks%20with%20berries%20an%20white%20choc.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyVrc2kjMySY9XqlpoD34xIyA4CckpO2LPxaYMDMAsXQtQ_xD_LnlGZDAgk3zgsDgzfiYbA1X0TYscVtJWORW1yW_hJGLz4aqbIrKPNnUhiPshey3ln-298TPdTaLE6mLWion51SaAkrgGEk7Bnutkoq23xcQIoqsDkbcz7XYQ1LAmmZBrpDLCTv2/w200-h150/flapjacks%20with%20berries%20an%20white%20choc.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 200 of butter, 200 g of golden caster sugar, 4 tbsp of golden syrup, grated zest of two lemons, 400 g of porridge oats, 200 g of white chocolate, 200 g of berries, parchment paper.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In a saucepan warm the butter, sugar, syrup and lemon zest. Stir in the oats and spread the mixture on a rectangular oven tin lined with parchment paper. Level the surface and bake at 180 C for 30 minutes. Let it cool, in the meantime melt the chocolate in the microwave. Spread the chocolate on the flapjacks and scatter berries on top. Let the chocolate settle before cutting it into squares and serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Lamington</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMqfiVj0qgOJvTnPCOmSv11DTun_X8jYu_UUrWoZ4X8Ojq3x8la343OyuQq9ZUuQOzJ-BI0q-SE-BqclqO3dYrwVmUvaPiw_ZwNfEdPjI_LyZHptHtX9Oh-JxSsGOh9bQd1PJWUUWRlO1W3XVzTYQPID7H4BguxW-m3cca3iTuGB41UtHcoNuguwG/s1000/Lamington.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMqfiVj0qgOJvTnPCOmSv11DTun_X8jYu_UUrWoZ4X8Ojq3x8la343OyuQq9ZUuQOzJ-BI0q-SE-BqclqO3dYrwVmUvaPiw_ZwNfEdPjI_LyZHptHtX9Oh-JxSsGOh9bQd1PJWUUWRlO1W3XVzTYQPID7H4BguxW-m3cca3iTuGB41UtHcoNuguwG/w150-h200/Lamington.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 100 g of butter, 150 g of sugar, 2 eggs, some drops of vanilla essence, 200 g of self-raising flour, one tsp of baking powder, 150 ml of milk.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the icing you need: 300 g of icing sugar, 50 g of cocoa powder, 100 g of boiling water, 25 g of butter, one tbsp of golden syrup and 200 g of desiccated coconut.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Beat the butter and sugar, add the rest of the ingredients and mix until everything is well combined. Spread the mixture in a rectangular greased tin and bake at 180 C for 30 minutes or until golden. Let it cool and cut in square cubes. Prepare the icing melting the butter in the boiling water and adding the cocoa powder, the icing sugar and the golden syrup. Dip the lamington squares in the icing to coat and roll it in the coconut, then let it dry and rest before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Pecan Buns<br /></span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This recipe is by Nadiya Hussain, I just changed it a bit.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilh6cgHPR0yfXTzS88O-iUEsEpzH5p0RXDTMjDHlvNOBd15TSKFvopKEPW8lZegTJG8D4CafOxMPQ76uw4yf2zmHWJBDNoeNzrkyd5Lxf6y2bchayw-3DhjFP6ip8kikfjyHFHCRuhx-j-9p0SAmMfmUWFi6ec7gq16bGwGk_WeQ2AMbjC9SdDOW4x/s1000/pecan%20buns%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilh6cgHPR0yfXTzS88O-iUEsEpzH5p0RXDTMjDHlvNOBd15TSKFvopKEPW8lZegTJG8D4CafOxMPQ76uw4yf2zmHWJBDNoeNzrkyd5Lxf6y2bchayw-3DhjFP6ip8kikfjyHFHCRuhx-j-9p0SAmMfmUWFi6ec7gq16bGwGk_WeQ2AMbjC9SdDOW4x/w200-h150/pecan%20buns%202.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 400 g of strong flour, two tbsp of olive oil, 7 g of dry yeast, 100 g of sugar, ½ tsp of salt, the grated zest of a lemon, one egg, 150 g of warm milk mixed with warm water.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: 50 g of butter, some vanilla extracts, 50 g of sugar, one tbsp of golden syrup, 100 g of pecans roughly chopped.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the glaze you need: icing sugar, 50 g of pecans finely chopped, some warm water.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33Ie__rEMsoMNvsMCfumk7fvuCxrm7OW9aEvAJ6dm7KhgGaJACIFaItKD4WJBoXhQirKpH5oJ0vsm0ZhbWg6EaT0Mb-dFuOuN7vjMNvv0pNxB8QoQLkC3gNPGNKuPzdTO-vzSxCQ9qWBG-9UhGWTa8089YF5CCrZmxlh3qQyHo7OyCDYr-NQGTfGG/s1000/pecan%20buns%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33Ie__rEMsoMNvsMCfumk7fvuCxrm7OW9aEvAJ6dm7KhgGaJACIFaItKD4WJBoXhQirKpH5oJ0vsm0ZhbWg6EaT0Mb-dFuOuN7vjMNvv0pNxB8QoQLkC3gNPGNKuPzdTO-vzSxCQ9qWBG-9UhGWTa8089YF5CCrZmxlh3qQyHo7OyCDYr-NQGTfGG/w200-h150/pecan%20buns%201.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix all the ingredients for the buns in a large bowl and knead the dough. Cover the bowl with a wet towel and place it in a warm place for at least two hours. Prepare the filling warming the butter and adding the sugar, vanilla extracts and pecans. Roll out the dough in a rectangular shape and spread the filling on it. Roll the dough and cut it into swirls of about one inch thick. Grease an oven tray and place the buns on it. Cover them with a cling film and let them rest in a warm place for about an hour. Finally remove the cling film and bake at 180 C for 30 minutes. Prepare the glaze mixing three tbsp of icing sugar with some warm water and the pecans. Brush the glaze on top of the buns when still warm and let them cool before eating.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Enjoy! 😋</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: red;"><br /></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-90595430795620777322022-06-05T23:46:00.002-07:002022-06-06T08:19:13.933-07:00Platinum Jubilee and SAOS open studio<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-OBZDNG7i0Zt__BzCg0kw4YAbBPx5rBQwqvpu6Z9xUZS_AQpSjs_4I-cHfdKYGN3v1QjMh-xzC3RMtKsfIApQfRBbmina00NSDhDJ0cghW0KUnpyNDrGIuZp2lXPZw-6AOQ3kdbOrJTrs4dxXnrykIS6ftlrbMYwwxqAtskc_KO7suqY4zR0B-Fs/s1600/IMG-20220602-WA0021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-OBZDNG7i0Zt__BzCg0kw4YAbBPx5rBQwqvpu6Z9xUZS_AQpSjs_4I-cHfdKYGN3v1QjMh-xzC3RMtKsfIApQfRBbmina00NSDhDJ0cghW0KUnpyNDrGIuZp2lXPZw-6AOQ3kdbOrJTrs4dxXnrykIS6ftlrbMYwwxqAtskc_KO7suqY4zR0B-Fs/s320/IMG-20220602-WA0021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;">The weather was so changeable and unsettled in the past few weeks that we had two or three seasons in one day! Warm sunny spells then thunderstorms and sudden gusts of wind. I had to wear layers of clothes and I even had my winter coat on for the outdoor duty lunch break. No chance to wear my new light colourful summer dresses even with a jumper or a cardigan on. Apparently, the cold weather comes from Scandinavia but it might change soon. In southern Europe it is already hot, maybe too hot; hopefully the warm weather might come up north. My mum told me that in Rome it is so hot that she stays inside from midday until late afternoon. I prefer cooler weather, but a bit of warmth would be nice at this time of the year.</span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO719c5PHcU7x3992p0wvjVrw7Xb2gIsnN3HZTbuKv0dHn_eQCN4qSj3IVagOtw_3IZDg2B-oUKErJh3iNthfuepxEVfK0qNvW_oaA2yH17HD5IdiKFQc14v8mrrTZU6pUM88zLQK83O2TkZEfIW-UTwfK0h8DwJ015WLbCJCBVSgOodALe3WdxYqA/s1000/IMG_20220330_132732.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO719c5PHcU7x3992p0wvjVrw7Xb2gIsnN3HZTbuKv0dHn_eQCN4qSj3IVagOtw_3IZDg2B-oUKErJh3iNthfuepxEVfK0qNvW_oaA2yH17HD5IdiKFQc14v8mrrTZU6pUM88zLQK83O2TkZEfIW-UTwfK0h8DwJ015WLbCJCBVSgOodALe3WdxYqA/w150-h200/IMG_20220330_132732.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At the Park School we had some good times. The good smell of fresh coffee welcomes me in the morning and there are always some treats on the staff table for break-time. We had tuna wraps and cheese scones in Food Tech and my students completed their tree houses before half term. They created amazing original products which are not perfect but are very interesting. They will be on display at some point before the end of the year. In cultural studies my students are studying Poland and made Wycinanki, that is paper cutting patterns. In PE they are mainly playing rounding and other team games outside now that the weather is warm. They have such fun and I enjoy it too.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I had the chance to take part in the Vision Project (<a href="https://www.thevisionproject.co.uk/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.thevisionproject.co.uk/</span></a> ) that involved music, dance and painting. I joined the inspiring workshops led by Hannah Bruce (<a href="https://surreyopenstudios.org.uk/artist/hannah-bruce/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://surreyopenstudios.org.uk/artist/hannah-bruce/</span></a> ) at her studio. We made some paintings following the prompt of the mesmerising music from which the project started. Its revealing lyrics and soothing melody are a never-ending source of inspiration. We all created good original work, mostly free and loose abstract pieces. I was particularly intrigued by some lines of the lyrics:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyGI5a7PFEgdKdyQOpD_5mPRtxf8ZWcyc4HlrQ_4GW8nDqkkg39uviWeAMrv1R4qB7RzDjz79JFyLaGk4ZNSGmJ4ngCpZtOs5DdZHmVIfW8eQS94G7zP2nMxva8EK3dH80ot7g97qa49a8S1FJeUR8_Su4BHI3hG3fpp-C7y-AUR5990N3gxXWxZQ/s1000/IMG_20220510_213601.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyGI5a7PFEgdKdyQOpD_5mPRtxf8ZWcyc4HlrQ_4GW8nDqkkg39uviWeAMrv1R4qB7RzDjz79JFyLaGk4ZNSGmJ4ngCpZtOs5DdZHmVIfW8eQS94G7zP2nMxva8EK3dH80ot7g97qa49a8S1FJeUR8_Su4BHI3hG3fpp-C7y-AUR5990N3gxXWxZQ/s320/IMG_20220510_213601.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have a million of nightingales</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the branches of my heart</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Singing freedom</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Earth is alive</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is the link to the video clip: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THPvB4exwXU&list=PLVDXk8owCp7kkF1yV9lsI4adGF4lu3iPm " target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THPvB4exwXU&list=PLVDXk8owCp7kkF1yV9lsI4adGF4lu3iPm </a></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They are beautiful words that for me are related to our need for peace in an eco-friendly environment in harmony with nature; in this ideal space we can sing our song freely and therefore be healed. The dance we watched was inspiring too and it gave us more ideas for our drawings. I particularly admired Hannah Bruce’s picture that merged melody, dance and the rhythm of the piece of music in soft colours and strong marks. I produced an abstract piece and a figurative drawing with acrylic paints which look very different from one another; it was my attempt to explore the creative potential of this interesting project. The Vision Project does not finish with the workshops, there will also be two art exhibitions on the 18<sup>th</sup> of June at Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary in Guildford and on the 8<sup>th</sup> of September at The Lightbox.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNLFZrhZ-4iJzqcUEpwxUmXVVQFXESeLe7p34XEGxrpiUlXGZYgdOGGgOXdDs4mW2UE7paCdfCHGsy43i9NZbE2L_Og7eNdAXi6ek2IWbgauo5M7Y7WdZAULyO4gy1xGpy91LLllLJhmVSQuM22Dx4tcUbdtmjsq1lTgHg7hngKcRDr7j3NLiwzfD/s1440/283473671_497470852062563_2334647887119694378_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNLFZrhZ-4iJzqcUEpwxUmXVVQFXESeLe7p34XEGxrpiUlXGZYgdOGGgOXdDs4mW2UE7paCdfCHGsy43i9NZbE2L_Og7eNdAXi6ek2IWbgauo5M7Y7WdZAULyO4gy1xGpy91LLllLJhmVSQuM22Dx4tcUbdtmjsq1lTgHg7hngKcRDr7j3NLiwzfD/s320/283473671_497470852062563_2334647887119694378_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Before half term, some of my Canadian friends from Alberta came to England. Their tour included some days in Ireland and Wales and three days in London. They emailed me in advance so I could book a show (they chose ‘Middle’ at the National Theatre) and the restaurant. It was such a pleasure to see my friend Pam again; I hadn’t met her since I visited Canada before the lockdown. We had a long chat while we were sharing pizza with funghi, caprese and artichoke salad. Her friend Tara was very interested in my work on Margaret Atwood and asked me about my thesis and my thoughts about Atwood’s work. She read quite a few of her novels so we discussed our favourites. We also shared opinions about our writings and how our lives will be after retirement as well as my plans to visit Canada again, maybe next summer.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZGeGU6CuDmYuHVrv4DnKp7wq_oQnE7g4KeyS7zSaK-_XBP1QHjKxPRJFHzXWDJ0gvdaShufgji7zlmdUEeBzBwZPwKY1otgoS7cQQnJsU-xJe3onHQVqjOQPoEy5heO-jy6DAvd2vh42jYYablBJDUSn4wygN5BYyCoGCZTC7d9Q2NWE_6wvkTjY/s1000/IMG_20220524_184005.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZGeGU6CuDmYuHVrv4DnKp7wq_oQnE7g4KeyS7zSaK-_XBP1QHjKxPRJFHzXWDJ0gvdaShufgji7zlmdUEeBzBwZPwKY1otgoS7cQQnJsU-xJe3onHQVqjOQPoEy5heO-jy6DAvd2vh42jYYablBJDUSn4wygN5BYyCoGCZTC7d9Q2NWE_6wvkTjY/s320/IMG_20220524_184005.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">‘Middle’ at the National Theatre was superb. The actors, Claire Rushbrook (Maggie) and Daniel Ryan (Gary) were awesome in their roles. The setting was an average English house (kitchen and living room) with ordinary furniture and family pictures on the walls. The story is about the mid-life crisis of a middle-aged couple who are settled in an apparently comfortable life and ask themselves if they are really happy. Maggie triggers the crisis feeling trapped in a boring predictable routine. She can’t sleep and says to her husband Gary that she is not sure she loves him anymore. On the other hand, he seems pretty happy about their relationship; he can do his things, practice golf, attend sport events and enjoys family life on the whole. Instead Maggie feels lonely and misunderstood. Besides, she has met another man, John the policeman, with whom she talks a lot sharing thoughts and feelings that she thinks Gary cannot understand or is not willing to listen to. She kissed John passionately but they have never had sex so far. Gary tries every trick to keep her with him promising to do whatever she wants. The play is a clever interweaving of funny cliches, dramatic moments and ironic understatements. I enjoyed it very much, especially the parts where human fragility comes to the fore.<br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWx-aJ6VrQa1-JMAkwwCav6h_R9r5zIaqf__f0vQKSzt-aLjKH7DUCRXIPiB-SjOi-TWqP8J6BTovGjGqPHLWmRP328xENqBXRnO_Jj2-zXXS6RH-3T434zCEDrVsFH-gyiyUoqsF_yjDtY5WFwTu14oAXoyD_56UpLFi7g0la7Aad8oVx7uH3Z7Z7/s1600/IMG-20220603-WA0004.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWx-aJ6VrQa1-JMAkwwCav6h_R9r5zIaqf__f0vQKSzt-aLjKH7DUCRXIPiB-SjOi-TWqP8J6BTovGjGqPHLWmRP328xENqBXRnO_Jj2-zXXS6RH-3T434zCEDrVsFH-gyiyUoqsF_yjDtY5WFwTu14oAXoyD_56UpLFi7g0la7Aad8oVx7uH3Z7Z7/s320/IMG-20220603-WA0004.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">During the half term week, we celebrated the Platinum Jubilee with family parties. I made a new crochet post box installation in Park Road, Woking, with a big crown in the middle and the British colours around, and a wreath for my house door. I was so glad that people stopped and helped me while I was installing the crown in Park Road; this means that my crochet is useful in some way. We travelled north to see the rest of the family, my sons and their partners and my granddaughter Violetta. We had a big meal with tortellini, Italian affettati, mozzarella and burrata, lemon and orange jelly and a drizzle sponge with raspberries and blueberries. We wore crowns and Violetta put on the crown she had made at the nursery and held her flag up. We had such a good time together, catching up on family news, sharing our concerns, joys and feelings, and especially spending time with Violetta. She is becoming more and more active, exploring around, always busy with toys, books and things she finds and uses in different ways. We brought her new toys and new clothes, but she especially liked to play with my rings, wearing them or holding them in her tiny hands. She also fed us with a little spoon taking imaginary food from small cups. Now she understands some Italian and English words and follows instructions both in English and in Italian. One of her favourite activities is looking at children’s books. She loves us reading them to her in both languages. The stories are about Peppa Pig, the giraffe Sophie, Spot, la Pimpa, Peekaboo books and books on numbers and colours.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DFx8tFVrebVXXHtPiZPGoOZvG7Vg5M3HOJmYEQessijSAcQUG0lW3ban2tOIqQWriw1o1dtGGHJHJBwmKn7patU6QKSnkKCq3HP38hTRePGxp1JZslbS1f2aVFzIAf_EJ7jqHHRfSMmRD1v87wKzvOUmxfCBs8eLHwvber8FslFP5m4ualDUQKzQ/s1000/IMG_20220531_101658.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DFx8tFVrebVXXHtPiZPGoOZvG7Vg5M3HOJmYEQessijSAcQUG0lW3ban2tOIqQWriw1o1dtGGHJHJBwmKn7patU6QKSnkKCq3HP38hTRePGxp1JZslbS1f2aVFzIAf_EJ7jqHHRfSMmRD1v87wKzvOUmxfCBs8eLHwvber8FslFP5m4ualDUQKzQ/w200-h150/IMG_20220531_101658.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the Jubilee we watched the Trooping of the colours, the Thanksgiving service at St Paul’s cathedral and the Saturday evening concert. I loved the queen’s powder blue outfit and her presence on the balcony was so welcomed by the crowd that later she commented that she was inspired by the goodwill people showed to her. And she deserves it all because of her continuous devotion in these seventy years. As Michelle Obama said, queen Elizabeth is a remarkable person; she took her duty seriously and humbly every day of her life since she became queen. Her presence has promoted a strong sense of stability and belonging, and the celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee just confirm this. There was a cheerful holiday mood as well, together with reverence and sincere affection, which were heart-warming and powerful. I also like the fact that there was something for everyone during the celebrations, from traditional parades to classical music and pop entertainment. I found this varied approach positive and hopeful, not only because it was open to different styles and preferences but also because it suggested diverse visions that might coexist though distinct and unique. I loved Andrea Boccelli’s interpretation of ‘Nessun Dorma’ and also enjoyed Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Sam Ryder and the musicals.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are some links to the videos:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Andrea Boccelli <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8gW4RgQ3bU"><span class="s4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8gW4RgQ3bU</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rod Stewart <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q56VyhtWIxs&t=8s"><span class="s4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q56VyhtWIxs&t=8s</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brian May <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEaJXlRQ7xA"><span class="s4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEaJXlRQ7xA</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Musicals <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Whei1J4KHI"><span class="s4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Whei1J4KHI</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sam Ryder <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npkNYzBB0MQ"><span class="s4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npkNYzBB0MQ</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The best bits <a href="https://news.sky.com/video/jubilee-concert-the-best-bits-from-queen-elton-john-diana-ross-and-more-12627973"><span class="s4">https://news.sky.com/video/jubilee-concert-the-best-bits-from-queen-elton-john-diana-ross-and-more-12627973</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Diana Ross <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKTXyqsNrI"><span class="s4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKTXyqsNrI</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Queen meeting Paddington Bear was an enjoyable surprise too:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s4" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H3WJ2qRwiQ&t=2s"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H3WJ2qRwiQ&t=2s</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On Saturday afternoon, we celebrated with my autistic daughter Valentina at her home in Redhill. We prepared cupcakes with her and decorated her room with crowns and flags. She had great fun and especially enjoyed eating the cupcakes.<br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On Sunday, we had a street tea party in our area with Jubilee inspired cakes, drinks and a lot of toasting and chatting. I made a cake with the Union Jack colours inspired by one of the Jubilee pudding recipes I found online. Here are the links to some Jubilee recipes I used in different occasions:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1tlrU6zOcAefc93bNnb7t4neo13Uqz6khx7Cd8t0j93QhoPmKjlAj9FKgUY55gnm7qfhdwpRfK7ZR3Dc0cl8px63Z8JOdAoRTa54OjdN2UQwXmApGAeM8ZRqxLAdu6hYeDT3zGWkz6Gv3vN8PKB9F6DD8781A55ql676b32SzenmeYfW6JRQ7Fq2/s1000/IMG_20220604_161353.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1tlrU6zOcAefc93bNnb7t4neo13Uqz6khx7Cd8t0j93QhoPmKjlAj9FKgUY55gnm7qfhdwpRfK7ZR3Dc0cl8px63Z8JOdAoRTa54OjdN2UQwXmApGAeM8ZRqxLAdu6hYeDT3zGWkz6Gv3vN8PKB9F6DD8781A55ql676b32SzenmeYfW6JRQ7Fq2/s320/IMG_20220604_161353.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s4" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/candice-browns-plantinum-jubilee-cake-recipe-rcdb9cgnl">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/candice-browns-plantinum-jubilee-cake-recipe-rcdb9cgnl</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s4" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/three-showstopping-puddings-celebrate-platinum-jubilee/?WT.mc_id=e_DM3762&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FAM_New_ES_Sun&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_FAM_New_ES_Sun20220529&utm_campaign=DM3762"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/three-showstopping-puddings-celebrate-platinum-jubilee/?WT.mc_id=e_DM3762&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FAM_New_ES_Sun&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_FAM_New_ES_Sun20220529&utm_campaign=DM3762</span></a></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s4" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/recipes/0/union-flapjack-recipe/?WT.mc_id=e_DM4038&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_Foo_New_Thu&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_Foo_New_Thu20220602&utm_campaign=DM4038"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/recipes/0/union-flapjack-recipe/?WT.mc_id=e_DM4038&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_Foo_New_Thu&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_Foo_New_Thu20220602&utm_campaign=DM4038</span></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHP_0uP92TzB35ZO5HV_pHvbZcgeD6cx8F8TB2ehE4gIhWh8EEkcuSwSWSHpu93Kt4PGUH30MP8snwn0tByhX-aeYiqnmHlnppAgNMvmEytdrXLdHq6CUW1b7rZCLXfxHVWjh5JZ3OgTXnNTMgeZH_lvnkndHbnpSuK3YgNBH0PEi7QCa-A9Xnjjn_/s1000/286299165_10220595549218810_2266145878733832382_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHP_0uP92TzB35ZO5HV_pHvbZcgeD6cx8F8TB2ehE4gIhWh8EEkcuSwSWSHpu93Kt4PGUH30MP8snwn0tByhX-aeYiqnmHlnppAgNMvmEytdrXLdHq6CUW1b7rZCLXfxHVWjh5JZ3OgTXnNTMgeZH_lvnkndHbnpSuK3YgNBH0PEi7QCa-A9Xnjjn_/w150-h200/286299165_10220595549218810_2266145878733832382_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am also taking part in the SAOS (Surrey Artist Open Studios) on the 11<sup>th</sup>-12<sup>th</sup> and 18<sup>th</sup>-19<sup>th</sup> of June. I am at Chobham Community centre (Macmahon Cl, Chobham, Woking GU24 8NG <a href="https://www.chobhamcommunitycentre.co.uk/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.chobhamcommunitycentre.co.uk/</span></a> ) from 11 am to 5 pm with my paintings, crochet, handmade bags, cards and more. Here is the link:</span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s4" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://surreyopenstudios.org.uk/open-studio/carlas-favourite-things/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://surreyopenstudios.org.uk/open-studio/carlas-favourite-things/</span></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">During the open studio, I am running drop-in workshops for children. I provide the materials to make cards, puppets, concertina books and paper masks. I am also planning to make demonstrations of wet-on-wet watercolour paintings of flowers and of crochet work. Everything will be available on the site and I will be happy to share my time and experience with whoever comes to visit my open studio. I will also provide some refreshments, tea, coffee and shortbread biscuits. It will be a busy but enjoyable time.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwak6TYfoY2J_-NWYEfb9D0igQ9zZtG3c-IX4zL1d27W56m2bBOzkmFmdhWpRzah1WlhT263qiWzK7gT3x67OuCIBBOfNiLjc84H2mTMi2-xowCp92ezhHPDP7VegbbREoKU8zaIm5erXynZ2nWB0Nd8vl55OAryGwCa0EpEnF5rGBDMPXIzWauy0d/s750/Instagram%20SAOS2022%20copy.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwak6TYfoY2J_-NWYEfb9D0igQ9zZtG3c-IX4zL1d27W56m2bBOzkmFmdhWpRzah1WlhT263qiWzK7gT3x67OuCIBBOfNiLjc84H2mTMi2-xowCp92ezhHPDP7VegbbREoKU8zaIm5erXynZ2nWB0Nd8vl55OAryGwCa0EpEnF5rGBDMPXIzWauy0d/s320/Instagram%20SAOS2022%20copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-42985849726425029942022-05-22T02:31:00.000-07:002022-05-22T02:31:02.641-07:00Jubilee pudding, Eurovision song contest and more recipes <p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally, spring: sunny spells and warm afternoons, a whole new beginning. I still wear a light coat in the morning but now I prefer colourful shirts, long dresses and scarves to match. Getting rid of all the winter layers and heavy clothes was liberating and the warmth of the sun on my back is reinvigorating. In this exciting atmosphere, I had a go at the Jubilee cake; it is a multi-layered lemon trifle created by Jemma Melvin, the winner of the Platinum Jubilee pudding competition. Here are two links to the recipe of this special treat:</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxmGm36TTeQ1ajQK0ZS8Fr4iIJ4fnUKaK7ed66l4GhRERhRvwKgKHb7W-9C6koZJM_mxXzxygsrcVgVReHDQg2v68Gh7JeTcZwF1oIM-3DCOQJiky1HoxFSQ5GeK2M8-bN5SD_GQZ8IMYlb2RSHnYZRhJlBSeHNXH_Z2g2yD2_iboldHgRQbVZDrA/s931/platinum%20jubilee%20trifle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="931" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxmGm36TTeQ1ajQK0ZS8Fr4iIJ4fnUKaK7ed66l4GhRERhRvwKgKHb7W-9C6koZJM_mxXzxygsrcVgVReHDQg2v68Gh7JeTcZwF1oIM-3DCOQJiky1HoxFSQ5GeK2M8-bN5SD_GQZ8IMYlb2RSHnYZRhJlBSeHNXH_Z2g2yD2_iboldHgRQbVZDrA/s320/platinum%20jubilee%20trifle.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/05/12/recipe-inspired-queens-wedding-dessert-wins-platinum-pudding/?WT.mc_id=e_DM3024&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FAM_New_ES&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_FAM_New_ES20220513&utm_campaign=DM3024"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/05/12/recipe-inspired-queens-wedding-dessert-wins-platinum-pudding/?WT.mc_id=e_DM3024&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FAM_New_ES&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_FAM_New_ES20220513&utm_campaign=DM3024</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/winning-the-queens-jubilee-pudding-contest-its-a-mere-trifle-fpc5xkwtc?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Best%20of%20Times%202022%20May%2013&utm_term=audience_BEST_OF_TIMES"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/winning-the-queens-jubilee-pudding-contest-its-a-mere-trifle-fpc5xkwtc?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Best%20of%20Times%202022%20May%2013&utm_term=audience_BEST_OF_TIMES</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I took some short cuts. I made the swiss roll, the custard cream and the jelly, but I bought the amaretti and the lemon curd, and instead of the mandarin coulis I used jam. About the white chocolate bark shard, I just spread some crumbled amaretti and poured white melted chocolate on top of the whipped cream. It was a long process but eventually we had a delicious, superb pudding.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryvfs7ZTMAmGkdiIYGLMtRmDEiH0MxwzrotyDB1JsVJW744t2xsIe4kesD5EHnmoY6_MSTaj6lo67jcRrU87LIgKHmY_ci93OXPmWElQa6rNTB-_UNtQuhK8pJOA5Fqy-3SLt9wyeRsYy5uQ_UKx2fbdgW--HZqsqbeBO9il2dBfUYCBiEysaHZpa/s344/winners%20EV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="344" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryvfs7ZTMAmGkdiIYGLMtRmDEiH0MxwzrotyDB1JsVJW744t2xsIe4kesD5EHnmoY6_MSTaj6lo67jcRrU87LIgKHmY_ci93OXPmWElQa6rNTB-_UNtQuhK8pJOA5Fqy-3SLt9wyeRsYy5uQ_UKx2fbdgW--HZqsqbeBO9il2dBfUYCBiEysaHZpa/s320/winners%20EV.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCLA8QuYZWF_b0MjoLI3wUDgrcRt8xSOVxJGZ5qkn6wDxSyZTK1q7m6j8xyliU6sCo--3aLHvwswwXz9pWR8JGf3c5QpXcM7eyo_ARR4w-vfDgXqzqhVjddbSYJ02JRVEPZusEoW1QyOakqHfMNACY1XWjoLbgP-MIuMCtuYDt5ck7KT7CJccBBR0/s225/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCLA8QuYZWF_b0MjoLI3wUDgrcRt8xSOVxJGZ5qkn6wDxSyZTK1q7m6j8xyliU6sCo--3aLHvwswwXz9pWR8JGf3c5QpXcM7eyo_ARR4w-vfDgXqzqhVjddbSYJ02JRVEPZusEoW1QyOakqHfMNACY1XWjoLbgP-MIuMCtuYDt5ck7KT7CJccBBR0/s1600/4.jpg" width="225" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I watched the Eurovision song contest, of course, one of my favourite programs ever. It was spectacular, a relief in this difficult period. Ukraine eventually won but the real winner was Sam Ryder’s song Space Man. Ukraine’s first place was a demonstration of the audience’s support against Russian invasion. The show at Turin’s Palasport Olimpico was hosted by the Lebanese-British pop star Mika, Italy’s X Factor Alessandro Cattelan and the popular Italian singer Laura Pausini. They looked smashing wearing outfits by Armani, Versace and Valentino. I loved Pausini’s dresses; the drapery fitted her statuesque body and she looked like the Roman statue of a matriarch or an empress. I also liked the different colours of Mika’s suits from shocking pink to white and blue. The most exciting moments were when the jury’s and the audience’s scores were announced. After the disappointing scores of the past years, the UK finally came first after the jury’s votes. Ukraine got 439 votes from the audience, so the UK came second. Italy came sixth, which is not bad considering they won last year. Space Man is a great song and Sam Ryder’s performance was amazing. The lyrics are a bit surreal and the music reminds me of Elton John’s and David Bowie’s sounds. The Ukrainian song, Stefania, by the Kalush Orchestra, is about mothers and also about finding the way home. Though it was apparently written before the war, it is now inevitably linked to the conflict. The song is a mixture of traditional folk rhythm, hip hop and rap. Here are the links to the videos:<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Space Man <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ0hqX_92zI"><span class="s1">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ0hqX_92zI</span></a></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMpKHKl8ETahga1i3QlXdnIlpGYNVKr8LJglNrVWpyjAzTeHVbzLGuop7-ks0m_dW1eyV8MrebmdIZjh7_X7MbDQrAfRVbzvzr0oBwOk78sEa1-fXYYb7C0j_1QC0-swUoW7Xs745d1d6r_fLxhfFFzryFRBwAcnYPemuhs9q2S4ENbu3rl5OeK3g/s263/gn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="263" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMpKHKl8ETahga1i3QlXdnIlpGYNVKr8LJglNrVWpyjAzTeHVbzLGuop7-ks0m_dW1eyV8MrebmdIZjh7_X7MbDQrAfRVbzvzr0oBwOk78sEa1-fXYYb7C0j_1QC0-swUoW7Xs745d1d6r_fLxhfFFzryFRBwAcnYPemuhs9q2S4ENbu3rl5OeK3g/w200-h146/gn.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stefania <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fl60ypdLs"><span class="s1">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fl60ypdLs</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Probably the 2023 final will not be hosted in Ukraine. It would be great if it were in the UK. I would certainly attend it.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My favourite song was the Australian one: Sheldon Riley’s Not the Same, about his autistic experience as a boy and a young man. Here is the link to the video:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYkhVi_O9abn0iMbz8JjMg6DrZM0jpZOGjE9DuysnI8vnaiBG3Md2x1qmmugGRo_enfi7v-vxiC7GXo_eZKQzU4Emn7Y8Sz_g9Shrf6u0SejLXZgv-fIuwD1UZ4TOEqUuiV7nkYi3JgGWuWvUqdKZclCZvTeHZWxD4RW3fBx3qskzenvNj3Rfo69y/s318/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="318" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYkhVi_O9abn0iMbz8JjMg6DrZM0jpZOGjE9DuysnI8vnaiBG3Md2x1qmmugGRo_enfi7v-vxiC7GXo_eZKQzU4Emn7Y8Sz_g9Shrf6u0SejLXZgv-fIuwD1UZ4TOEqUuiV7nkYi3JgGWuWvUqdKZclCZvTeHZWxD4RW3fBx3qskzenvNj3Rfo69y/w200-h100/5.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxe0t8sbI-M&t=80s"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxe0t8sbI-M&t=80s</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also enjoyed Norway, Moldova and Serbia’s performances. They were weird and funny according to the best tradition of Eurovision songs:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Give that wolf a banana <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCU2rQyDeY"><span class="s1">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCU2rQyDeY</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Trenulețul <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUqf_zO2QaI"><span class="s1">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUqf_zO2QaI</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In corpore sano <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBtQj1MfNYA"><span class="s1">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBtQj1MfNYA</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was bewildered, almost shocked by the recent repercussions against the abortion law in the US. The Supreme Court seems to have the intention to overturn the Roe v Wade case, which occurred in the 1970s, that declared the denial to abortion unconstitutional as it violates the right of privacy. The bill was regularly attacked by conservative Catholics and then also by Evangelicals. They even murdered doctors that practiced abortion believing that life in the foetus starts at conception, so the doctors were committing a crime. Certainly, the foetus starts to be a living creature at a certain point of the pregnancy, a creature capable of having feelings and probably suffering pain, and abortion would kill this creature. But this concept is controversial. Conservative churches believe this happens at conception but there is no scientific proof to support this idea, only precepts. A six-month foetus is certainly a living creature. Around week 7, the foetus develops a heart, a brain and moves in the womb later on (around week 16-17), which is the so-called ‘quickening’. These might be some believable starting points when a foetus might be considered a living creature. On the other hand, as Margaret Atwood remarks, ‘making abortion illegal doesn’t stop it; it just makes it more dangerous’. Here is the link to her article, which shows a thoughtful and insightful analysis of the problem:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_c0JR9cyHYa-cnknFm6RnoWIT7IRtEffrUhaOYTACOdmFNupSQrSsHqDGykVIyLKtfMrza02YHetWjGWukeX1WCU6N_wWd04Kk8WplOxS3IkI1sA0okVML9mwyY3Hykhm8bHN6H3qbJBg8_ud0-6dB-uu9Cf8edJeHxUcIgTb-vO1gyH2ZSjhLwX/s1200/bayPq9ZY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_c0JR9cyHYa-cnknFm6RnoWIT7IRtEffrUhaOYTACOdmFNupSQrSsHqDGykVIyLKtfMrza02YHetWjGWukeX1WCU6N_wWd04Kk8WplOxS3IkI1sA0okVML9mwyY3Hykhm8bHN6H3qbJBg8_ud0-6dB-uu9Cf8edJeHxUcIgTb-vO1gyH2ZSjhLwX/s320/bayPq9ZY.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/07/enforced-childbirth-is-slavery-margaret-atwood-on-the-right-to-abortion?CMP=share_btn_tw">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/07/enforced-childbirth-is-slavery-margaret-atwood-on-the-right-to-abortion?CMP=share_btn_tw</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is an unbelievable setback against woman’s rights that might threaten other rights such as birth control and same-sex marriage in the future. Though the majority of the abortion laws all over the world have some restrictions, abortion seemed to be an acquired right that especially protects low-income women. I feel there is a sense of going back to a dark past when people were controlled and constrained in fixed inescapable roles instead of marching towards a more equal and diverse society.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, I was flabbergasted by the marvellous Gucci sfilata <i>Cosmogonie</i> at Castel del Monte. The octagonal castle was built in the 1240s by Frederik II on a mountain in the south of Italy, in Puglia. The catwalk lasted less than an hour featuring marvellous outfits created by Alessandro Michele. This is where fashion becomes art and creates culture. I know this stuff is for the rich and for celebrities to wear at dress galas, not for ordinary people like me. However, Michele’s creations are enchanting, a pleasure to watch, like works of art in museums.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8gaSF3bFFzkQd-nNMpMxoWqAPgI9qgO3o9bnwfvwLLkPCrkLHli3yx8ML5TkU4ZoOSCiynu9Het7VUOrHHB0wE_pCWPOEt63BzoFbNhrGv9qWuPakX4vq_AbSjdkHumla4VLEYkUlvMLKFRCb6sF4M42LFNqUhusjSeoLz7Q38x2T04M4SI8MD3V/s273/casteldelmonte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="273" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8gaSF3bFFzkQd-nNMpMxoWqAPgI9qgO3o9bnwfvwLLkPCrkLHli3yx8ML5TkU4ZoOSCiynu9Het7VUOrHHB0wE_pCWPOEt63BzoFbNhrGv9qWuPakX4vq_AbSjdkHumla4VLEYkUlvMLKFRCb6sF4M42LFNqUhusjSeoLz7Q38x2T04M4SI8MD3V/s1600/casteldelmonte.jpg" width="273" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are the highlights and the link to the video of the show:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.viva.co.nz/gallery/fashion/highlights-from-guccis-marvellous-resort-twenty-twenty-three-runway-show-at-castel-del-monte/%22%20%5Cl%20%22.YoXefXHU1z0.twitter"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.viva.co.nz/gallery/fashion/highlights-from-guccis-marvellous-resort-twenty-twenty-three-runway-show-at-castel-del-monte/#.YoXefXHU1z0.twitter</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUej93sSeng"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUej93sSeng</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And here are some more recipes I experimented with my mother when I was in Italy for the Easter break:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Baccalà (dried salt cod)</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX78Wesrd_d7fM9yQre_QTVZ21JBn3z0M4QpbultYjpOsmLYAMoxBlMOyfzPN4aOD653G5n6HjQ8lbUfNsEqLMczYGhjnPdKdYPoNFOik2kzkusf5a9ASxGVayFf8eRNm6UyL4XwEVka9fDILjQgtGLJrMBoYh0Qk5Bo72bzkKL44hq_lMX6MpveL/s1000/baccala%20e%20asparagi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX78Wesrd_d7fM9yQre_QTVZ21JBn3z0M4QpbultYjpOsmLYAMoxBlMOyfzPN4aOD653G5n6HjQ8lbUfNsEqLMczYGhjnPdKdYPoNFOik2kzkusf5a9ASxGVayFf8eRNm6UyL4XwEVka9fDILjQgtGLJrMBoYh0Qk5Bo72bzkKL44hq_lMX6MpveL/w200-h150/baccala%20e%20asparagi.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is a dish we usually have on a Friday. If the fish is too salted, we soak it in water for half an hour. There are different ways of cooking it according to the different regional traditions. My mother made it with milk. She cut it in squares and coated it with flour. Then fried it in hot olive oil. Finally, she put it in a saucepan and covered it with milk and let it simmer until the fish absorbed the milk.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Torta pasqualina (Easter pie)</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydFm5zMU-Urm7NqLVbj3hQ9LbHS4YfHt0i_GO5c4nyfBtS_0L0jLo8iVMj7bC5Gb2TxhRHLUJk9EuzPF3AYEgK1JOG2nafHszxSNuQNg1Go472DxP7ltHb4prVq9Sf7jSq3Am44foTsymFftk5gH5CyewLF0qQCmBCpeFPQkeU_O1aLHnIiYuIQFz/s1000/torta%20pasqualina%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydFm5zMU-Urm7NqLVbj3hQ9LbHS4YfHt0i_GO5c4nyfBtS_0L0jLo8iVMj7bC5Gb2TxhRHLUJk9EuzPF3AYEgK1JOG2nafHszxSNuQNg1Go472DxP7ltHb4prVq9Sf7jSq3Am44foTsymFftk5gH5CyewLF0qQCmBCpeFPQkeU_O1aLHnIiYuIQFz/w200-h150/torta%20pasqualina%202.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the dough you need: 250 g of plain flour, 4 g of dry yeast, one egg, a tsp of salt, two tbsp of olive oil, some lukewarm water.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: 250 g of ricotta, 250 g of spinach, five eggs.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix all the ingredients for the dough and let it rest for one hour in a warm place.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cook the spinach in salted water and drain it. Let it cool and add the ricotta.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yvsGkBnqlwef4jB1OnAE1Tf7wOMK_XrHtw32HJ-kg-XgHj8kif7b4OC9Z0w_LHi47AKijL2TFy_cJuAl2JLE2YJqCSDv8C8aTMnRT_wsWiRHAuNuKwkOmLIe2VOPucrCJHUlrSs4jfyg3TLCJIkeZxwsJNzEi2GM7akxEd7fuHiyZvgI1YyuxN8L/s1000/torta%20pasqualina%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yvsGkBnqlwef4jB1OnAE1Tf7wOMK_XrHtw32HJ-kg-XgHj8kif7b4OC9Z0w_LHi47AKijL2TFy_cJuAl2JLE2YJqCSDv8C8aTMnRT_wsWiRHAuNuKwkOmLIe2VOPucrCJHUlrSs4jfyg3TLCJIkeZxwsJNzEi2GM7akxEd7fuHiyZvgI1YyuxN8L/w200-h150/torta%20pasqualina%201.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roll out half of the dough and line a round greased cake tin. Pour the spinach and ricotta mixture then make 5 ‘holes’ in the middle of the mixture. Break the eggs and place them in the ‘holes’. Roll out the rest of the dough and cover the pie. Bake at 180 C for half an hour-45 minutes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Quiche with greens</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the dough you need: 250 g of plain flour, 3 g of dry yeast, a tsp of salt, some lukewarm water, two tbsp of olive oil.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebxVePm3OBN7JlTOrEfs5BrCIs66p1TwRCgqYSj0WEb5pzKs68dohhX_6TEKmNZotqaoNU6EmXBbXb_QM2agSRSzs2Ww988TWGqvEjzt2TxKWiEiFl7AHZ1Na2VR3mE8DYlE2aKCjB7Lxs3kXFJXX3BoDhinnuJg1CQ1PJEZhIrLozQJqQ-6U_Yxm/s895/quiche%20greens%20and%20creme%20fraiche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="895" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebxVePm3OBN7JlTOrEfs5BrCIs66p1TwRCgqYSj0WEb5pzKs68dohhX_6TEKmNZotqaoNU6EmXBbXb_QM2agSRSzs2Ww988TWGqvEjzt2TxKWiEiFl7AHZ1Na2VR3mE8DYlE2aKCjB7Lxs3kXFJXX3BoDhinnuJg1CQ1PJEZhIrLozQJqQ-6U_Yxm/w200-h168/quiche%20greens%20and%20creme%20fraiche.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: 500 of greens, 200 g of crème fraiche, 4 eggs, salt and pepper.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix all the ingredients of the dough and let it rest in a warm place for one hour. Cook the greens in boiling water and drain it. Blend the greens and add the eggs, crème fraiche, salt and pepper. Line a greased quiche tin with the dough and pour in the greens mixture. Bake at 200 C for 30-45 minutes.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Borlotti risotto</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTRyYN4y0aJJwuESqnvgBy3ESnLM61Lv0WYwg0hM5KX5l8eDdm92m34p-itCEzyWenTnhpYu5bVLrBM1P8_Zet5kUOp-C7JUugMw8WULU6l7S0QW2nV5_3ia22EVRUcfTnZXVTRFT_Jucyr9wIs3MImI6-EXsZZ88V_tLEEFASQgtKkmGzDwULS3l/s1000/risotto%20borlotti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTRyYN4y0aJJwuESqnvgBy3ESnLM61Lv0WYwg0hM5KX5l8eDdm92m34p-itCEzyWenTnhpYu5bVLrBM1P8_Zet5kUOp-C7JUugMw8WULU6l7S0QW2nV5_3ia22EVRUcfTnZXVTRFT_Jucyr9wIs3MImI6-EXsZZ88V_tLEEFASQgtKkmGzDwULS3l/w200-h150/risotto%20borlotti.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 250 g of risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli), olive oil, a small onion, a stalk of celery and a carrot, two tbsp of red wine, one tin of borlotti beans, oregano, two tbsp of tomato passata, salt, pepper, parmigiano, chilli (optional).</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cook the beans with celery, carrot and onion in water. When the beans are ready remove the onion, carrot and celery and add some olive oil and the red wine. Add the oregano, tomato passata, salt, pepper and chilli. Once it is boiling, add the rice and let it simmer until the rice is ready. Serve with parmigiano.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Biscotti all’olio d’oliva</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHI9WrdTR9P92v_UQstlqh2YlZTq-oTpmcKCynMjA-5O0RlHBU8Sduab0uW0eG91sUdYU1pMqQZ9rOqAwSSp82AoPGCLii4_wOiszXvmhP4LgHQMyKmfGKOW-UsfezqPlQuUBW76c-XeuzfvTBdZYq6gYwaWSBVQgvxZdHFHIKzQCkDtYgC4wIDAfe/s1000/biscotti%20con%20olio%20d'oliva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHI9WrdTR9P92v_UQstlqh2YlZTq-oTpmcKCynMjA-5O0RlHBU8Sduab0uW0eG91sUdYU1pMqQZ9rOqAwSSp82AoPGCLii4_wOiszXvmhP4LgHQMyKmfGKOW-UsfezqPlQuUBW76c-XeuzfvTBdZYq6gYwaWSBVQgvxZdHFHIKzQCkDtYgC4wIDAfe/w200-h150/biscotti%20con%20olio%20d'oliva.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I made this recipe for my granddaughter Violetta who is not having milk or butter yet. I used olive oil instead.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 250 g of self-rising flour, 150 g of sugar, two eggs, two tbsp of olive oil, vanillina or some drops of vanilla extracts.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix all the ingredient, knead the dough and let it rest for half an hour. Prepare the biscuits making balls and pressing them between your palms to obtain a sort of round flat shape. Place them on a greased oven tray and bake at 180 C for 10-20 minutes or until ready.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Pistachio cantuccini</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1Ms4pog1szeKSLQxE6Y8edFNdi-IdlMd-CSjVjOqRjpoSruU3tY6Brcb0JFF3trg2MS2f_HgNryPDNdKhk0qVcHPQFeGiJ-VpeWO2h4Jtb1jyyom-XJY2VcIDzdc0zlwP_oTMb0TE9wW8vTq9NUzVSe0tvPGH9WChdaJ-sGeWrHvsIOxSTUzeQa_/s1000/cantucci%20al%20pistacchio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1Ms4pog1szeKSLQxE6Y8edFNdi-IdlMd-CSjVjOqRjpoSruU3tY6Brcb0JFF3trg2MS2f_HgNryPDNdKhk0qVcHPQFeGiJ-VpeWO2h4Jtb1jyyom-XJY2VcIDzdc0zlwP_oTMb0TE9wW8vTq9NUzVSe0tvPGH9WChdaJ-sGeWrHvsIOxSTUzeQa_/w150-h200/cantucci%20al%20pistacchio.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 250 g of self-rising flour, 50 g of pistachios, 50 g of almonds, 100 g of sugar, 30 g of dried apricots, two eggs, 2 tbsp of olive oil, some milk.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chop the nuts and cut the dried apricots into pieces. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. The mixture should be a bit sticky. Place the mixture in a greased oven tray forming two rows. Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes or until half done. Cut the rows in slices about an inch thick and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until ready. The biscuits should be golden brown.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Almond cake with orange icing</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dhctK0pqvAaL79_WFswd-K9LWLw078yuBtRcpLgLn6VKZjk9C1ZZfKne5mkygWOnKkgqnVHCbJQltoBHs9TkLzFZl6reSKlOwK9SfFpAYgKLDnnntapxk2hqh2YUbz3qFXMnQZLVeBkxc8ug2dT4a6OlA0LUIGV7_FjY4so3yNqgOqoyybYzs6fo/s1000/cake%20with%20almond%20and%20orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dhctK0pqvAaL79_WFswd-K9LWLw078yuBtRcpLgLn6VKZjk9C1ZZfKne5mkygWOnKkgqnVHCbJQltoBHs9TkLzFZl6reSKlOwK9SfFpAYgKLDnnntapxk2hqh2YUbz3qFXMnQZLVeBkxc8ug2dT4a6OlA0LUIGV7_FjY4so3yNqgOqoyybYzs6fo/s320/cake%20with%20almond%20and%20orange.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the cake you need: 250 g of self-rising flour, two tbsp of cornflour, 3 tbsp of honey, 100 g of golden caster sugar, 100 g of ground almonds, one tsp of baking powder, ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda, 100 g of melted butter, 4 eggs, zest of an orange, juice of half an orange, some vanilla drops.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling and the top you need: 200 ml of double cream, juice of an orange, icing sugar, 20 g of soft butter and flaked almonds.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Whisk the sugar and the eggs with an electric mixer for 10-15 minutes. Fold in the rest of the ingredients and bake the cake mixture in a greased tin cake at 180 C for 30-45 minutes or until ready. Let it cool and prepare the filling and the icing. Whisk the cream in a bowl with a tbsp of sugar and add half of the orange juice at the end together with some flaked almonds. For the icing, mix the rest of the juice with icing sugar and the butter. Cut the cake in half and wet it with milk mixed with sugar. Spread the cream on the base and cover with the other half of the cake. Spread the icing on top and decorate with flaked almonds.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Special chocolate cake</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTaGzU3eqCHUOOncGIKc68p6sNSCuASiLtyBMzqb5aHzpMULvVrR8T0AvDfzUQD9fomv7Qo2dnwSIgeDykBR3iCtDx4Mtf_wjFdPdpuzk8clAf-wptYxDWzzvbCkGJhLl38VzJjnU1wJPrxLxQyMXGU1uzwmy4vI53WSAw29jLU1Oygb3bl2XHdf3/s1000/torta%20ciocc.%20ripiena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTaGzU3eqCHUOOncGIKc68p6sNSCuASiLtyBMzqb5aHzpMULvVrR8T0AvDfzUQD9fomv7Qo2dnwSIgeDykBR3iCtDx4Mtf_wjFdPdpuzk8clAf-wptYxDWzzvbCkGJhLl38VzJjnU1wJPrxLxQyMXGU1uzwmy4vI53WSAw29jLU1Oygb3bl2XHdf3/s320/torta%20ciocc.%20ripiena.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the cake you need: 200 g of self-rising flour, 70 g of cocoa powder, 4 eggs, one tsp of baking powder, ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda, 100 g of sugar, 50 g of brown soft cane sugar, two tbsp of olive oil.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: 200 ml of double cream, 50 g of melted dark chocolate.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the top you need: 50 g of melted chocolate, 50 g of icing sugar, 30 g of soft butter, some sprinkles.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Whisk the sugar and the eggs with an electric mixer for 10-15 minutes. Fold in the rest of the ingredients and bake in a greased tin cake at 180 C for 30-45 minutes or until ready.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Let it cool and prepare the filling and the icing. Whisk the cream in a bowl with a tbsp of sugar and add the melted chocolate at the end. For the icing, mix the melted chocolate with icing sugar and the soft butter. Cut the cake in half and wet it with milk mixed with sugar. Spread the cream on the base and cover with the other half of the cake. Spread the chocolate mixture on top and decorate with sprinkles.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-55166836372063476472022-05-08T00:18:00.002-07:002022-05-08T00:18:43.391-07:00Back in the UK: Exhibitions and outings<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCOneZw_NS2Fivll0pjk-23U5vnV_xRnH-pYLagIn-59yBj2pWgXq4aGBkdHDOYnvix4hrUddZif5EltAKbmqJFzwl5z3bZ9ffkuFlAGYHx5_ltr53a-6Ud3tOCvvngOkbv5Fhc2uY0Lxc6z5qqDYrPMMnYanEiDKfJ3FNe6E_W2K8GmFRTpY4Prl/s1000/IMG_20220417_155757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCOneZw_NS2Fivll0pjk-23U5vnV_xRnH-pYLagIn-59yBj2pWgXq4aGBkdHDOYnvix4hrUddZif5EltAKbmqJFzwl5z3bZ9ffkuFlAGYHx5_ltr53a-6Ud3tOCvvngOkbv5Fhc2uY0Lxc6z5qqDYrPMMnYanEiDKfJ3FNe6E_W2K8GmFRTpY4Prl/s320/IMG_20220417_155757.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5Da8sdX_R7AC6ocrKVtwm94K_xHtTRshkiP6QQuB8hgVIIZuTuFro-JAkP5i_qpas0PipTTYOZzUpx5Zh10U_0SgQhiyTJCf9FGtRb8u85sjOLSbOVEIV8T54fnT-V1V8sCmDscbZ00LO-dCJBwB1oS1j2CIHQIOc6_Wk13Yjl2kTHqqSBqaFTxP/s1000/IMG_20220424_065655(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5Da8sdX_R7AC6ocrKVtwm94K_xHtTRshkiP6QQuB8hgVIIZuTuFro-JAkP5i_qpas0PipTTYOZzUpx5Zh10U_0SgQhiyTJCf9FGtRb8u85sjOLSbOVEIV8T54fnT-V1V8sCmDscbZ00LO-dCJBwB1oS1j2CIHQIOc6_Wk13Yjl2kTHqqSBqaFTxP/w150-h200/IMG_20220424_065655(1).jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">We were back in England just before Easter Sunday. Our sons visited us for a few days. We were overjoyed; it was such a wonderful family gathering with my granddaughter walking around and tasting everything. We also visited my autistic daughter Valentina on Easter Sunday and decorated her garden with plastic eggs and balloons. We had lunch with her too: pasta al forno, chocolate budino and Italian Easter eggs. She enjoyed all the activities and dressed up for the occasion. I had time to visit some friends I hadn’t seen for a long time, posted cards and mini chocolate eggs to neighbours and made more crochet decorations for my Easter tree and for presents to send to friends abroad.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Before starting school, I managed to spend two days in London visiting some new exhibitions with my daughter. In Rome I had the opportunity to attend the amazing exhibition ‘Crazy’ at Chiostro del Bramante near piazza Navona about inspiring</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOPHGfJ9HEtvjYtApfy6PwoRQS73rHUswWZDouoHvv_f1da2Gzuf8wOdeAVdcy92sWHqdh46m-jMr-UGxZZBipxiaV0T6k01Z3aKnX7LInuiqPFu5uzLAYRuJERF3RLC1wxM5kPSD1JNXVmJXUABaBbKUnIY6TgDfOYzmbQutiWOzat3TDAgYNKhS/s1000/Crazy,%20La%20follia%20dell'arte%20contemporanea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOPHGfJ9HEtvjYtApfy6PwoRQS73rHUswWZDouoHvv_f1da2Gzuf8wOdeAVdcy92sWHqdh46m-jMr-UGxZZBipxiaV0T6k01Z3aKnX7LInuiqPFu5uzLAYRuJERF3RLC1wxM5kPSD1JNXVmJXUABaBbKUnIY6TgDfOYzmbQutiWOzat3TDAgYNKhS/w200-h150/Crazy,%20La%20follia%20dell'arte%20contemporanea.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">contemporary art. I reviewed it for London Grip, here is the link:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/04/crazy-the-madness-of-contemporary-art-review-by-carla-scarano/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/04/crazy-the-madness-of-contemporary-art-review-by-carla-scarano/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In London I booked three exhibitions and a show before leaving for Italy. I was extremely intrigued by ‘Fashioning Masculinities’ at the V&A, ‘Surrealism Beyond Borders’ at the Tate Modern and ‘Raphael’ at the National Gallery. I am going to review all of them and will post the links when they are out. The most impressive one was ‘Fashioning Masculinities’. The outfits and artwork on display are so unique and cover such a long period of time, from ancient Greece until today, that they really give a broad and exhaustive idea of menswear and how it was constructed and deconstructed in time. New ideas are explored in the exhibition showing how masculinity was often influenced by femininity and therefore multiple masculinities have developed. The exhibition also means to convey a sense of liberation from conventions and stereotypes.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_8exLtgSvrWyWYfBTys1eTxrmyLdWcA9rX-lhhTasnRQ6W9NhVkAlyp-eLdeorBA8gaLX4tqK1Jg52UGfkacUSMmYDXYsLDieleyTn5romndDcPfWOIV4ywxXgSTjnwYzFGIFLBf5pRXmMdIyNhuPlk9XrbwBSSuWxXZbHARalouqUpmTcqL0xzX/s1000/IMG_20220414_173750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_8exLtgSvrWyWYfBTys1eTxrmyLdWcA9rX-lhhTasnRQ6W9NhVkAlyp-eLdeorBA8gaLX4tqK1Jg52UGfkacUSMmYDXYsLDieleyTn5romndDcPfWOIV4ywxXgSTjnwYzFGIFLBf5pRXmMdIyNhuPlk9XrbwBSSuWxXZbHARalouqUpmTcqL0xzX/w200-h150/IMG_20220414_173750.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The exhibition on Surrealism was very engaging in its exploration on how Surrealism in art expanded all over the world in the 20<sup>th</sup> century. The artworks of famous and less known artists are on display which is a good way to broaden your view about what Surrealism was and still is. I particularly liked Remedios Varo’s triptych, which is figurative and realistic but has a charming dreamlike atmosphere too, and Maria Izquierdo’s ‘Squash with Pan de Muerto’ which is almost metaphysical and reminded me of de Chirico’s pictures.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery is iconic. It traces Raphael’s career which lasted no more than two decades as the artist suddenly died at the age of 37. He was very successful and very much admired not only as a painter but also as an architect, an archaeologist and curator when such figures didn’t officially exist. He worked for de Medici in Florence and for the popes in Rome. His Madonnas are famous for the harmony of the composition and the softness of the palette. The exhibition also features impressive drawings from the Queen’s collection and the enthralling portrait of pope Julius II.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUPE4rOQ-dblx2toHRIDHjs1YcdskIj-umtT4TGVro_H8LJjP4VXlznAQN-U9EOUcyON4HXUe8y_7J0-JPgtiJAW04dZVIPzwMLy4nU3-jn9bfo3CIsmn3j0zfbALHUsOH4slDONMa19sq8at-3aKD6r_eWd2UcfTxpLiuN1WSlTvkZbcdONEnPYi/s1000/IMG_20220415_154502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUPE4rOQ-dblx2toHRIDHjs1YcdskIj-umtT4TGVro_H8LJjP4VXlznAQN-U9EOUcyON4HXUe8y_7J0-JPgtiJAW04dZVIPzwMLy4nU3-jn9bfo3CIsmn3j0zfbALHUsOH4slDONMa19sq8at-3aKD6r_eWd2UcfTxpLiuN1WSlTvkZbcdONEnPYi/w150-h200/IMG_20220415_154502.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I attended <i>The Handmaid’s Tale</i> opera at the London Coliseum on the 14<sup>th</sup> of April. It was a riveting show. The music by the Danish composer Paul Ruders is involving and perfectly describes the atmosphere of the oppressive regime of Gilead. There aren’t any outstanding songs but the whole thing is very emotional and sometimes heart-breaking. It reflects the narratives of the book with all its complex implications of love, betrayal, hope and fear. The melodies are repetitive to emphasise the monotonous and oppressive ambience of the regime.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the UK the partygate scandal is still in the news but we are very much distracted by the Ukrainian war and the refugee issue, both the delay in issuing visas for the Ukrainian refugees and the decision to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The government’s decision was criticised by the Church of England and honestly it seems a bit weird to send people so far away to decide if they are entitled to have a visa. I was puzzled by Boris Johnson’s Easter message that Britain is bursting with ‘new life and new hope.’ Honestly, I don’t know what he meant exactly. I think that this is a difficult moment not just for the UK but for all the world because of the continuous risk that the war might expand and because of the threat of a nuclear war. Furthermore, the rising prices, the shortage of certain products such as wheat and meat that Russia and Ukraine supply in massive amounts all over the world, make the situation even worse. Apparently, the UK is less dependent on Russian gas than other European countries; however, the effects of the war are affecting prices here too as the rate of inflation and the energy bills are rising. Hopefully, alternative electricity supplies, such as wind and solar power will help in the future.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbmf3AYbCSMR5d5o_maA_zetxy4KHxx8V6p_NCa5EDc9bdQByRCqbWgPAZEnPvsVFT-N6r6lPPDLz0Jo_-90kAxb_5qrV7pn5doYCII-rRLpIfB07iDFgzD7f1NUv1h-zurP6seNpuPccu3JS3VtUyn8ukR2AzQKOO65He_XBSDr-FG81WrLfdI-x/s656/FSDeFdiWYAE5YMK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="620" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbmf3AYbCSMR5d5o_maA_zetxy4KHxx8V6p_NCa5EDc9bdQByRCqbWgPAZEnPvsVFT-N6r6lPPDLz0Jo_-90kAxb_5qrV7pn5doYCII-rRLpIfB07iDFgzD7f1NUv1h-zurP6seNpuPccu3JS3VtUyn8ukR2AzQKOO65He_XBSDr-FG81WrLfdI-x/w189-h200/FSDeFdiWYAE5YMK.jpg" width="189" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Conservatives seem confident that they can deal with all these issues while the Lib Dems wish to help people who are struggling in this crisis and the Labours declared that they want to support people in need with emergency plans. The local elections are not the same as the general election, which will be in two years’ time. People vote in different ways. Is it time to have a change after twelve years of Conservative government? Will people trust Keir Starmer? The choice is not so wide: one or the other. What about a coalition between Labour and Lib Dems? The coalition of Conservatives and Lib Dems between David Cameron and Nick Clegg didn’t seem to work so well in 2010 but it might work now with Starmer and Ed Davey.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The results of the local elections were depressing for the Tories especially in the south. Boris was punished and Labour gained votes. There were good results for the Lib Dems and the Greens too. In my constituency the Tories have lost five seats and the Lib Dems have gained four of them. The Lib Dems increased their control in Surrey and have an overall control in Woking. However, Boris keeps cheerful and is confident that he won’t lose his leadership.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ApSfxFX4pzayi-lMS771FDVzbGFnCVTiOV81duwuq8GooFsTWhytxDh5B0YVtlSZnavxX5fQQAKLdpLOZwjARz3__9CxPBHElsHMWOB2CToehNsWcZvQy1rT_NzRNMP9BO4GR94ZRK2gwQ-eK0JmaB2bBZwWy5WUZTwxtp2Zzm6R4CJDGwVldwJG/s1104/NY-The%20Queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="886" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ApSfxFX4pzayi-lMS771FDVzbGFnCVTiOV81duwuq8GooFsTWhytxDh5B0YVtlSZnavxX5fQQAKLdpLOZwjARz3__9CxPBHElsHMWOB2CToehNsWcZvQy1rT_NzRNMP9BO4GR94ZRK2gwQ-eK0JmaB2bBZwWy5WUZTwxtp2Zzm6R4CJDGwVldwJG/w161-h200/NY-The%20Queen.jpg" width="161" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">To add uncertainty during this troubled time, the Royals are not in good waters. Prince Andrew’s involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and the trial that followed as well as the fact that he escorted the Queen at Prince Phillip’s memorial service were criticised from several sources. Unexpectedly, the visit to Jamaica of William and Kate was not considered a successful achievement, though they are usually praised for their commitment and impeccable etiquette. They were criticised as too formal and old fashioned and also faced some protests during the visit in the country. <i>The Palace Papers</i> by Tina Brown released last month, describe the Royals’ role as purposeless as they repeat themselves in time and don’t bring any new idea which might connect them to a larger public. The Queen has just turned 96, so she is comprehensibly increasingly frail. She has mobility problems that will probably prevent her from taking part in all the Platinum Jubilee’s celebrations. She may pass even the opening of Parliament to Prince Charles. This is a bit worrying but inevitable. She did amazingly well in her seventy years of reign deserving respect and affection from us all.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQDtD9tELgZ_go_I3ct1aArxyXp5LRce2autJ4zBIjR_zMcgtaKNbyRsJDZDe_SPsSQsaZQuck3wY9aLOTjHw_u0vK0BDKoXm7xRsIwLd9pEzp-yLYrtfgD3sxfEbFNiicVx7wtP1-UYVesv65hNOtK9sRLmoONb9A4vRP65O91H4mW6fXT1Ef11l/s399/new%20plants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="399" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQDtD9tELgZ_go_I3ct1aArxyXp5LRce2autJ4zBIjR_zMcgtaKNbyRsJDZDe_SPsSQsaZQuck3wY9aLOTjHw_u0vK0BDKoXm7xRsIwLd9pEzp-yLYrtfgD3sxfEbFNiicVx7wtP1-UYVesv65hNOtK9sRLmoONb9A4vRP65O91H4mW6fXT1Ef11l/s320/new%20plants.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The weather hasn’t settled yet. It is grey, sometimes bright and warmer for a day or two but is still chilly in the morning. I took out lighter jackets from the wardrobe but I am still wearing my winter coat and boots at school. I bought some long dresses with flowery patterns and loose tops to match but haven’t worn them yet. We managed to reshape our garden during the long Mayday weekend. My daughter, my husband and I worked as a team and got rid of weeds and dried plants from last year and planted new ones. They are tiny at the moment but I know they will become as big as bushes in a couple of months, if the frost doesn’t come back at night in May🤞. We planted begonias, marigolds (my favourite ones), pansies and geraniums. About vegetables, I opted for courgettes (which went very well last year), tomatoes (which were a disaster because of too much rain last August) and French beans. The view of my garden is revitalising; it is so colourful and pictures the summer yet to come.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2wQUxxYnbddGX1t8LsfH6dZYKkFPJ-0GV2vPuwbiZp5wR1lenRoRE6khMIRdrvO_nVJ2G3b7Hi6C85veXT5hRfcahrC5QprOHtWlz2XwqNqUrXu0t3cCcxipvACv62tHCxuz01AdIcIVmnjEyorkiLvc5C5Z3KcdoQND_DplGeWvXvf-Pmi-sxTV/s1000/crochet%20patterns_maria%20primachenko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2wQUxxYnbddGX1t8LsfH6dZYKkFPJ-0GV2vPuwbiZp5wR1lenRoRE6khMIRdrvO_nVJ2G3b7Hi6C85veXT5hRfcahrC5QprOHtWlz2XwqNqUrXu0t3cCcxipvACv62tHCxuz01AdIcIVmnjEyorkiLvc5C5Z3KcdoQND_DplGeWvXvf-Pmi-sxTV/w200-h150/crochet%20patterns_maria%20primachenko.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I am working on new crochet projects with new flower patterns inspired by Maria Primachenko’s artwork and I am also preparing a new post box installation for the Queen’s Jubilee. When I visited my daughter Valentina, I played with her using stencils. The idea came from the art classes at The Park School where my students are making tree houses and use stencils to decorate them. Valentina loves stencils and we made some interesting work together.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, when I came back from Italy the movies nominated for the Academy Awards were no longer on at the cinema. I could only watch <i>The Power of the Dog</i> on Netflix. It didn’t impress me at first but then the mesmerising effect of the apparently untold story and the impressive landscape of Montana captivated my imagination. The striking opposition between the paper flowers made by Peter (interpreted by Kodi Smit-MacPhee) and the tough life of the cowboys is symbolic of the fragile personality of the protagonist, Phil (interpreted by Benedict Cumberbatch). He shows a rough and strong outward attitude but is vulnerable inside. Phil disguises his homosexual desires and eventually falls in Peter’s trap. There are some surreal moments, for example in the scene when they have exotic cocktails in this luxurious huge house set in the middle of nowhere, or when they play tennis in the desert. Sexual frustration and claustrophobia contradict the apparent sense of freedom conveyed by the environment. The ending is disturbing; evil forces seem to work underfoot despite the apparent uneventfulness of the story. The title of the film quotes Psalm 22: 20: ‘Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.’ The dogs symbolise the enemies and the quote refers to Jesus Christ’s suffering on the cross. The narration is built up on allusions and hints that the audience needs to decode rather than on explicit descriptions and clear clues.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4HEJCDnRbAHl6l3v0CJnW070C_ve2XseXJgNEmOT37QzBv9vAW4UcH96429O3_kkUxUXgFTeF01nRGocVeslA-zfHU7oG_UNs2RqsTfpNeFO0ryS95DhV5IM723_DxOMrgm_NIavvBygScPf8NdebJa6tC1SwZWqee-Xx0a5_d6zDI_ebDZl978q/s814/abba%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="814" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4HEJCDnRbAHl6l3v0CJnW070C_ve2XseXJgNEmOT37QzBv9vAW4UcH96429O3_kkUxUXgFTeF01nRGocVeslA-zfHU7oG_UNs2RqsTfpNeFO0ryS95DhV5IM723_DxOMrgm_NIavvBygScPf8NdebJa6tC1SwZWqee-Xx0a5_d6zDI_ebDZl978q/s320/abba%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was impressed by the pictures of the Abba Avatar’s transformation in Dolce & Gabbana outfits. They look gorgeous, so different from who they are today in their seventies. In the <i>Abba Voyage</i> concert at the Olympic Park in London (an event I would like to attend) visual effects will create this metamorphosis. I wonder how it would be if we could access a similar experience, for example, in a disco. Our younger image could be reflected on a screen or we could be transformed into our younger self while we are dancing. It reminds me of fairy tales when the ugly witch is transformed into a beautiful princess, though I find that the elderly versions of Abba look interesting too. Here are two links to video clips that publicise the Abba concert:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlGC_1k1Bgs&t=3s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlGC_1k1Bgs&t=3s</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AVOUt_n6t8&t=2s"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AVOUt_n6t8&t=2s</span></a></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtNgRtdF_G3GUhcE1YUDnzq2xex0ahyvYigKR47j5YxIZOyKv4cguLknnlQb7JgjRqE3CGk6EWhNsMs9MyhHY5vx4-KkazFGQDRHlfuLJA35REpWyBlnPbFuzb-_YR_truNC4D-DpC2JUWTRiFjvNXJ-P_38B0nwOrLR6cDCYft67qAFIcwHzDIyZ/s258/Met%20Gala%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="258" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtNgRtdF_G3GUhcE1YUDnzq2xex0ahyvYigKR47j5YxIZOyKv4cguLknnlQb7JgjRqE3CGk6EWhNsMs9MyhHY5vx4-KkazFGQDRHlfuLJA35REpWyBlnPbFuzb-_YR_truNC4D-DpC2JUWTRiFjvNXJ-P_38B0nwOrLR6cDCYft67qAFIcwHzDIyZ/s1600/Met%20Gala%202022.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br /><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also perused the Met Gala’s dresses. They were astonishingly fabulous, authentic artwork in their sculptural quality and flabbergasting creativity. Here are some links to the pictures of the marvellous outfits:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/met-gala-2022-theme-gilded-glamour-gallery/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/met-gala-2022-theme-gilded-glamour-gallery/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/news/kim-kardashian-stole-met-gala-spotlight-marilyns-4m-dress/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/news/kim-kardashian-stole-met-gala-spotlight-marilyns-4m-dress/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/met-gala-2022-red-carpet-dresses-looks-6r2bkhlkx"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/met-gala-2022-red-carpet-dresses-looks-6r2bkhlkx</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2022/may/03/met-gala-2022-red-carpet-from-marilyn-monroes-gown-to-a-fake-moustache-in-pictures"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2022/may/03/met-gala-2022-red-carpet-from-marilyn-monroes-gown-to-a-fake-moustache-in-pictures</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The theme was ‘Gilded Glamour’ inspired by the Gilded Age of New York between 1870 and 1890. My favourite one was Hillary Clinton’s maroon outfit embroidered with the name of sixty influential American women. It is a wearable gown that fitted her very well and might fit me too. The other impressing dress was Marylin Monroe’s Happy Birthday to JFK 1962 worn by Kim Kardashian. The beautiful simplicity of the dress and the sculptured figure of Kardashian made it look like a modern Greek marble classic piece. Apparently, she had to follow a strict diet and exercise to lose about eight kilos in order to fit in the dress.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In conclusion, here is a perfect recipe for lemon drizzle cupcakes my students made during Food Tech lessons. I think it would work with orange zest and juice as well, but I haven’t tried this version yet.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FTKDqx0BIHClkB6e2_A54k6822boScUICAHxJGG8se4g4gb1Ej9Jjf4Rpb0cj3tu7L2D1fsdHOVtjRRlFk-5qfCfUV8BMl_6wr122LpEWePGZOJtAQBUT0eozx2X-3qTrbSVMv0yhaEIVFhHIUEO9egBRzFLqob2rNAg3fzx9y4xdRo6pvH4rAn5/s1000/lemon%20drizzle%20cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FTKDqx0BIHClkB6e2_A54k6822boScUICAHxJGG8se4g4gb1Ej9Jjf4Rpb0cj3tu7L2D1fsdHOVtjRRlFk-5qfCfUV8BMl_6wr122LpEWePGZOJtAQBUT0eozx2X-3qTrbSVMv0yhaEIVFhHIUEO9egBRzFLqob2rNAg3fzx9y4xdRo6pvH4rAn5/w200-h150/lemon%20drizzle%20cupcakes.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ingredients:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">110 g of self-rising flour</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">110 g of caster sugar</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1 tbsp of milk<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2 eggs</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">110 g of soft margarine or butter</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The grated zest of one lemon</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1 tsp of baking powder</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the drizzle:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">60 g of sugar</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The juice of a lemon</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Grate the zest of the lemon. Mix the flour, sugar and eggs in a bowl. Add the zest of the lemon, the milk, the butter or margarine and the baking powder. Beat all the ingredient with an electric mixer for a few minutes. Spoon the mixture into cake cases and bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 C. Let them cool and prepare the lemon drizzle mixing the juice of the lemon with the sugar. Brush or pour the lemon drizzle on top of the cupcakes and enjoy!</span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-81809151683850661762022-04-22T11:11:00.001-07:002022-04-22T11:28:21.954-07:00Italian flavours<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4RjXopKHImvaJlu05Txyl-4Gw-8rk7ZNnC65G8UNIc7HUwpUgygXF3syaj42et8mr8wixzwZ8aP-DWcecSU3BSvYgrfkZZXMTGr_qwOkn9A1rLXlFWp8nUhs816IN4ZQj-0cA5ZIf4jCdWOwtI7xkjEysBeAOPVqswbaUoBBZp2Q75kZPKLEKoSJ/s1440/IMG_20220408_100859_529.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4RjXopKHImvaJlu05Txyl-4Gw-8rk7ZNnC65G8UNIc7HUwpUgygXF3syaj42et8mr8wixzwZ8aP-DWcecSU3BSvYgrfkZZXMTGr_qwOkn9A1rLXlFWp8nUhs816IN4ZQj-0cA5ZIf4jCdWOwtI7xkjEysBeAOPVqswbaUoBBZp2Q75kZPKLEKoSJ/s320/IMG_20220408_100859_529.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Every time I visit Italy I am flabbergasted by my mum’s simple tasty dishes, my mother in law’s delicious food and unbeatable ice-creams. My mum made minestrone and her special artichokes just for me and a fantastic baccalà (salted cod) with asparagus on Friday. I had a walk in the centre with a friend to visit </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Crazy</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">, an enthralling exhibition on contemporary art at Chiostro del Bramante near piazza Navona, and took the opportunity to have a granita al caffè (coffee iced granita) with cream and a maritozzo (a bun filled with whipped cream) at Tazza D’Oro, which is a famous café near the Pantheon. We also had a family celebration for my mother in law’s 80</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">th</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> birthday at a restaurant with homemade fettuccine and cannelloni, lamb chops and fruit tart. My son Lorenzo with Layla were with us too. At the party my granddaughter Violetta looked so cute with her pink dress. She was overjoyed to walk around the venue and welcomed anyone who wanted to pick her up.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8Ji5kilW_dGepAFzJbypruht_RTXdWIuYe4Ea2mkhqlsMoDZkfVU9F-OpYUCmB5gMirP9ONnSUfMHYY3R5I5zwMNzFKDta8zw4YCO6CRQV_5h9i-8OZC_xoEVVJvwWc5N7X31t2BecBmgYHdaC9RFkcWJIS9ZNpiHG_1ALIe14gdi34Q72aAGuuR/s1000/IMG_20220416_160646.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8Ji5kilW_dGepAFzJbypruht_RTXdWIuYe4Ea2mkhqlsMoDZkfVU9F-OpYUCmB5gMirP9ONnSUfMHYY3R5I5zwMNzFKDta8zw4YCO6CRQV_5h9i-8OZC_xoEVVJvwWc5N7X31t2BecBmgYHdaC9RFkcWJIS9ZNpiHG_1ALIe14gdi34Q72aAGuuR/s320/IMG_20220416_160646.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The winter term was long and cold, especially before the Easter break.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I felt I really needed a good rest. Before leaving I prepared some little presents for friends and family, crocheted eggs, bunnies and chicks, and cards with my poems on flowers. In Rome I spent most of my time with my mum visiting her friends and neighbours. She stays at home most of the time now as she gets tired very easily. We had a walk together one day and I realised she needed to sit and rest from time to time. Taking public transport is too much for her and in the evening she often falls asleep in front of the TV. She still knits a lot; her work is flawless and tidy. At the moment she is knitting a blue cardigan with a complex pattern of interweaving braid stitches on the front. While I was with her, I worked on my crochet project to cover a post box with Easter eggs, spring flowers and butterflies back home. I sowed them on the top of a post box in Park road in Woking when I came back. It is near The Park School where I work. I enjoyed doing it and I think it looks pretty.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjlpx_CNJszJEYadlu2QNpabuoH4ZEegKPJzTC56RCkqCGq9VvuCa5L2GNlGrCtPg4Gtqcopdjhx9u4JdK1YkREPFVOfz30WJ5hYNFrIRPR40i48TQZQTzi1sAjldPFCS4aXR0xUAEEW0vmM_b0ObzLWimYzTuG6UHmoNLeimNEERAEUHLRlBrABX/s1000/IMG_20220417_084546.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjlpx_CNJszJEYadlu2QNpabuoH4ZEegKPJzTC56RCkqCGq9VvuCa5L2GNlGrCtPg4Gtqcopdjhx9u4JdK1YkREPFVOfz30WJ5hYNFrIRPR40i48TQZQTzi1sAjldPFCS4aXR0xUAEEW0vmM_b0ObzLWimYzTuG6UHmoNLeimNEERAEUHLRlBrABX/w150-h200/IMG_20220417_084546.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When we came back to the UK my sons came to visit us in the south, so we had more time with Violetta. She explored the house and the garden too. The weather was so gorgeous that we could spend a lot of time outside. Violetta was so proud she could go wherever she wanted that it was hard to stop her and take her inside. I made biscuits with olive oil instead of butter and chocolate budino (jelly pudding) with oat milk for her as she does not tolerate milk and diary products. She enjoyed them very much and asked for more and more budino. I gave her some new toys too, a book of Spot, the yellow puppy, with flaps to lift to discover colours, shapes and numbers, the Peppa Pig family and some activities I found in England and in Italy where Peppa Pig is popular too.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOL-QrfqFPuDtVo4ijlIFKyYzGoWqOZdsUpTYD-cc7LPaB1K8gHXvmrVCoXIj975CHsdTJzzGSdBIu9Y0DjcAafTDVrt9DVfsM8X1dOsUdU1sYLmMLunGDWmC-nhDtg24VeYqSlQ4F1A0lgZ6fA9VI40FRHU7bcunXVPj1XmLOhq-O2ez_kWvY0Kc/s1200/FP-4c-iXsAAZK8x.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOL-QrfqFPuDtVo4ijlIFKyYzGoWqOZdsUpTYD-cc7LPaB1K8gHXvmrVCoXIj975CHsdTJzzGSdBIu9Y0DjcAafTDVrt9DVfsM8X1dOsUdU1sYLmMLunGDWmC-nhDtg24VeYqSlQ4F1A0lgZ6fA9VI40FRHU7bcunXVPj1XmLOhq-O2ez_kWvY0Kc/w150-h200/FP-4c-iXsAAZK8x.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cODYEsXmZPzharyYLKGyZkXDcg6w52LIrrZwY92ohPwm1rP2J_FNegDO_bNy4Mw2x-cCEP20Nk17bSteLeQrPDj5JPFopHWDO0oFkzvnOerXZpNe4wY4_nbpdzHiv2ZTlArrtsGOs5zkE6DInY4ToeUBFytE2096zqfU_q4qDpcDx354H9F82VLo/s680/FPk3LeEX0AQ0X94.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="680" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cODYEsXmZPzharyYLKGyZkXDcg6w52LIrrZwY92ohPwm1rP2J_FNegDO_bNy4Mw2x-cCEP20Nk17bSteLeQrPDj5JPFopHWDO0oFkzvnOerXZpNe4wY4_nbpdzHiv2ZTlArrtsGOs5zkE6DInY4ToeUBFytE2096zqfU_q4qDpcDx354H9F82VLo/w200-h200/FPk3LeEX0AQ0X94.jpg" width="200" /></a></span>In Italy the weather was warm and sunny most of the time. Newspaper articles and TV programmes mostly focused on the war in Ukraine and on the Italian economic crisis due to the sanctions imposed on Russia. Sometimes there were updates about Covid. In talk shows on La7, such as Otto e Mezzo, hosted by Lilli Gruber, Atlantide hosted by Andrea Purgatori, and Di Martedí, hosted by Giovanni Floris, different opinions emerged. Most of the journalist and part of the audience agreed that Putin invaded Ukraine and that the Russian army is committing war crimes. However, a minority suggested that Putin was provoked by western governments that allowed Ukraine to apply to enter NATO. Apparently, Russians claim that after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 there was an informal agreement between Mikhail Gorbaciov and George Bush that NATO would never expand its influence in the area of the ex-soviet countries.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5kCHWnVibKkub1m0UJ-Us07b4dVcsm2aP7JD-pwy6zAMsnkJRGfawwnIltbtP3ofUOkBuf0wLjHH5utOF-Gsx2L1ziL6wesiD1JwyJdPPNF9Gz5PFFQKG4zW6OFhStyBRQTyrbD2HIAtFimtoaNkxQRHVvs9YV5Gj0olVVOQ7PR2x6swGCvuIH0L/s311/servant%20of%20the%20people.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="311" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5kCHWnVibKkub1m0UJ-Us07b4dVcsm2aP7JD-pwy6zAMsnkJRGfawwnIltbtP3ofUOkBuf0wLjHH5utOF-Gsx2L1ziL6wesiD1JwyJdPPNF9Gz5PFFQKG4zW6OFhStyBRQTyrbD2HIAtFimtoaNkxQRHVvs9YV5Gj0olVVOQ7PR2x6swGCvuIH0L/s1600/servant%20of%20the%20people.jpeg" width="311" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Putin has been compared to dictators like Franco and Stalin and, similarly to what happened during the Spanish civil war in 1936-1939, people from all parts of the world are joining the fight against Russia, especially from the USA, Canada, UK and Italy too. On the other hand, there are people who support Russia and think that the Bucha massacre is fake news. They believe that it is fiction with background actors and dummies to perform the roles of tortured prisoners and dead people. The alleged rape of women and burned children are also considered fabrications. It is a disturbing parallel reality that questions our communication systems based on Youtube videos and social networks. It seems there is no safe ground to rely on. The images of the war are broadcast live minute by minute but I have the sensation that we don’t know what is really happening.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3_W_SO-aoe7v41WOy-5PMuWywgsUF0uQf6fxZwazURvhb3sxKzOiHXN1F-Kvv5j3h6qCF0qONQFAE8gYVJLOSFWf8YuBg1M7om6pP7n059xbaPvZZgfTVm2sKbl4AmP6zRgnhWIMzoG_rp-6FnLiXa-pjw5IHO66nRQEKqOs8bS0_RTbe-oqas69/s300/zelensky.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3_W_SO-aoe7v41WOy-5PMuWywgsUF0uQf6fxZwazURvhb3sxKzOiHXN1F-Kvv5j3h6qCF0qONQFAE8gYVJLOSFWf8YuBg1M7om6pP7n059xbaPvZZgfTVm2sKbl4AmP6zRgnhWIMzoG_rp-6FnLiXa-pjw5IHO66nRQEKqOs8bS0_RTbe-oqas69/w200-h112/zelensky.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Zelensky asks for more weapons to stop the bloodshed, which is a contradiction in itself. Certainly, he is a better communicator compared to Putin. Zelensky is less formal both in his speeches and in his outfits. He speaks to the people using videos recorded on his phone not only about the war but also about his everyday life. For example, about what time he wakes up, what he has for breakfast or about his gym sessions. In Italy LA7 broadcast <i>Servant of the People</i>, the Netflix fiction series where Zelensky plays the part of the protagonist, a history teacher who becomes president. He is an ordinary person who wishes to abolish corruption, goes to the Parliament house by bus and cuts the government jobs that he considers redundant and a waste of money. On the other hand, his family takes advantage of his position and go out shopping for free. Before becoming president, Zelensky was a popular comedian and actor both in Russia and in Ukraine. One of his most popular sketch comedy scenes featured him wearing ostrich feathers and stiletto heels. He was compared to Ronald Reagan and to the Italian comedian Beppe Grillo, co-founder of the political party Cinque Stelle (Five Stars). Zelensky is a new figure, a hopeful alternative to the establishment and he is also supported by the Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, for whom he worked as an actor and entertainer in his media network. Now the president is the symbol of Ukrainian resistance. His speeches are so poignant that even the interpreters cry when they translate his words.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMdYfi5ZAoEAwOew24jvf12xZKcr8b4_mbX3A6VQ88RyjoNyi1KHeAFcfkkQJ8Md9r0LeW5ZuRBrtm1B5wCWz7oIg1RDw7PDPnYddZ8Nadb9rh7PR-mpf3aNWST4Uaw_klNhfCbBV9B_2iidXdReyzTJxDMIhIQNFG_nvz-8ZThd1nGlNmChk8LXa/s269/grillo.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="269" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMdYfi5ZAoEAwOew24jvf12xZKcr8b4_mbX3A6VQ88RyjoNyi1KHeAFcfkkQJ8Md9r0LeW5ZuRBrtm1B5wCWz7oIg1RDw7PDPnYddZ8Nadb9rh7PR-mpf3aNWST4Uaw_klNhfCbBV9B_2iidXdReyzTJxDMIhIQNFG_nvz-8ZThd1nGlNmChk8LXa/w200-h140/grillo.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In Italy prices are rising due to the war, e.g., pasta plus 15% and milk is sold in smaller packages for the same price as before. Oil and gas supplies are the biggest problem. The government is looking for different sources of raw materials, which Italy lacks, in the USA for example, but the prices are higher compared to Russian supplies. Another alternative is the Mediterranean area, e.g., Algeria. However, it seems impossible to cut the supplies of Russian gas completely. The PM Draghi said: ‘Do you want peace or the air conditioner on?’, suggesting we need make some sacrifices and use less energy or find an agreement with Putin in some way. In council offices they are going to decrease the heating from 22 to 20 degree centigrade in winter and increase the air conditioning from 19 to 21 in the summer. Pope Francis lifted a Ukrainian flag in St. Peter’s quare after the massacre in Bucha and pleaded to stop the war. War crimes were also discussed in talk shows but apparently it is very difficult to prosecute Putin as he should be arrested and taken to the International Criminal Court seated in The Hague. They cannot prosecute in absentia. Furthermore, countries such as USA, Ukraine and Russia don’t recognise the ICC.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ck5nWuWyT5Y28TbdRyfkgvVFSJ9pMQ4PvSp0uqZg--JCjkkaSO2LWTwS813j-ob-_NJKaAVC39Dfv3s42KCQq-E5iz87X4FnAs21hfw3hSeQaJADoyoeleARx8Y5MKviXRBWe8Zq5vxP_BvDR-PYl_F1Q4rAUSclKLH--Xh79tSWzyJS-ruMoirz/s1200/FQIxMfZXIAM8_nr.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ck5nWuWyT5Y28TbdRyfkgvVFSJ9pMQ4PvSp0uqZg--JCjkkaSO2LWTwS813j-ob-_NJKaAVC39Dfv3s42KCQq-E5iz87X4FnAs21hfw3hSeQaJADoyoeleARx8Y5MKviXRBWe8Zq5vxP_BvDR-PYl_F1Q4rAUSclKLH--Xh79tSWzyJS-ruMoirz/s320/FQIxMfZXIAM8_nr.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another solution could be to divide Ukraine into two influence areas as it happened with North and South Korea. Ursula Von den Leyen visited Zelensky and promised to support his country with millions of Euros and also to allow Ukraine to join the EU as soon as possible. Putin also allegedly helped Donald Trump to win against Hillary Clinton, which might be considered a betrayal of sorts on both sides. In the end, Russia is still powerful and the sanctions are damaging its economy but they have an impact on western economies too. Millions of refugees are fleeing the country. In Italy Ukrainians obtain a visa in a few days while refugees from other countries might take months, sometimes years or even be expelled eventually. Ukrainian soldiers are not giving up though their counterattack does not seem to be stopping the Russian army. I wonder if we are in a standby situation or if there will be more serious consequences in the near future. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-82453512786697055582022-03-26T01:58:00.000-07:002022-03-26T01:58:16.411-07:00Planning Easter holidays<p> <span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The days are growing warmer and the light comes from the window earlier in the morning. My outdoor duties at school are more pleasant. I enjoy the sun and already feel in a holiday mood. I am looking forward to the Easter break as I terribly need a proper rest. I worked</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-Q88Es9r1S4iOchIwLUOHTEbMwiqXSlZD9WqkVoUtIw-e7jSUyYg63OWq6cytd3Lk1yRMECiK1NaseuhC1WHXpUS-hONRHmjzHJLf-pPB3I7onHjHOhQ1c_NgkAQuv8M4Y9J256-uKjCkKPKSxGH4x_X3F54dg1RI3c3yPLz4muB4NC9Matsih1E/s1000/IMG_20220317_122141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-Q88Es9r1S4iOchIwLUOHTEbMwiqXSlZD9WqkVoUtIw-e7jSUyYg63OWq6cytd3Lk1yRMECiK1NaseuhC1WHXpUS-hONRHmjzHJLf-pPB3I7onHjHOhQ1c_NgkAQuv8M4Y9J256-uKjCkKPKSxGH4x_X3F54dg1RI3c3yPLz4muB4NC9Matsih1E/s320/IMG_20220317_122141.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> hard in the past few weeks, not just at school in my TA role but also at home completing a conference paper on Margaret Atwood’s poetry. I analysed her latest three collections, <i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Morning in the Burned House</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (1995), </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Door</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (2007) and </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dearly</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (2020). It has been an involving and engrossing work that absorbed most of my time for more than a month. Here is one of my favourite poems from </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dearly</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">:</span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Blackberries</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the early morning an old woman</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">is picking blackberries in the shade.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It will be too hot later</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">but right now there’s dew.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some berries fall: those are for squirrels.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some are unripe, reserved for bears.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some go into the metal bowl.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Those are for you, so you may taste them</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">just for a moment.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That’s good times: one little sweetness</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">after another, then quickly gone.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Once, this old woman</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m conjuring up for you</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">would have been my grandmother.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Today it’s me.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Years from now it might be you,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">if you’re quite lucky.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The hands reaching in</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">among the leaves and spines</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">were once my mother’s.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’ve passed them on.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Decades ahead, you’ll study your own</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">temporary hands, and you’ll remember.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Don’t cry, this is what happens.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Look! The steel bowl</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">is almost full. Enough for all of us.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The blackberries gleam like glass,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">like the glass ornaments</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">we hang on trees in December</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">to remind ourselves to be grateful for snow.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some berries occur in sun,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">but they are smaller.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s as I always told you:</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the best ones grow in shadow.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And my response to Atwood’s poem:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Tasting blackberries</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The best ones grow in shadow</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Margaret Atwood, <i>Blackberries</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cycling to Heather Farm</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I see blackberries gleaming in the sun</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">black spots and red spots</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">among avid spines,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the biggest and ripest ones recede in the deepest undergrowth –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">they will feed blackbirds and sparrows</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">or melt in the mud.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have no plastic bag or bowl</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">so I gather them in my surgical face mask,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">collect quite a few</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">gobble up some,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">their wild taste bursts black under my fingers.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I feel satiated by the little sweetness,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">treasure their blackness</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">that absorbs the late summer sun.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I make off with my bundle of pitch-dark garnets –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">furtive as I go.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Back home I simmer them in a pan with lemon juice and sugar</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">seal the jam in jars</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">with the label Gratefulness.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;">Published here: <a href="https://tworiverspress.com/2021/12/07/tasting-blackberries-a-poem-from-carla-scarano-dantonio/"><span class="s2">https://tworiverspress.com/2021/12/07/tasting-blackberries-a-poem-from-carla-scarano-dantonio/</span></a></span><span class="s3" style="color: red;"> </span></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I played Wordle recently and was lucky to get the right word in a few attempts. The last one was RENEW, an inspiring and appropriate word for springtime. I feel renewed and my article on Margaret Atwood’s poetry is actually about renewal, transformation through storytelling that for Atwood happens in a voyage into the underworld. In her latest collections it is also connected with ageing and consequently death. But her view is not completely negative, on the contrary the ageing of the body causes a transformation that she interprets as a renewal. We need to acknowledge and accept our mortal condition but also look for transformation, a change that is revitalising.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9fBYDg9_FkK2wWNphRFOapWE0BxQLLTk1f9lbBb6JRjSLURrl6e3z7k2vkXzKoOpGJexbPs0drGIsAY5kTgy6kG72nTAwNIs7HffqwykBkff3MjfqIQUkJvtb815Zj2zhTuOxSzLfRy-Y2vVJh6xVKkpBs_u4kl-m_jKOD28YkVnlGAAFIajZcfE/s496/wordle_renew_20:03:22.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="496" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9fBYDg9_FkK2wWNphRFOapWE0BxQLLTk1f9lbBb6JRjSLURrl6e3z7k2vkXzKoOpGJexbPs0drGIsAY5kTgy6kG72nTAwNIs7HffqwykBkff3MjfqIQUkJvtb815Zj2zhTuOxSzLfRy-Y2vVJh6xVKkpBs_u4kl-m_jKOD28YkVnlGAAFIajZcfE/w200-h113/wordle_renew_20:03:22.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My working week is full though I am getting used to the rhythm of my job and am better organised now. I have hectic weekends where I pack all the things I cannot do during the week, e.g., yoga classes, swimming, workshops, shopping and visiting my autistic daughter Valentina in Redhill. I try to take it easy and say to myself that what I cannot do this weekend I will do the next one. I noticed that I usually lose a kilo during the week and re-gain it in the weekend. I still wear trousers, boots and long woollen dresses but some of my colleagues are already wearing summer dresses with thin cardigans and sandals. It is difficult to choose what to wear in this period of the year as it is still chilly in the morning when I start the day, then it becomes bright and warm. It might change again before Easter and go back to wintry weather and perhaps settle after Easter. Who knows?</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajx-avhDDGNxUFl46ZMxYUYJsst16BDOCpQCPegDHY069vLnAzeCWf3y3yPrR1XyhIWLF68gGnCtdxFsW-aIWP3dWCH2N1IJu0XBJHB7_z_lIbR-ZQ_u66_la7fvKkKeCwm8qRqTed6-m_ze3Sc4DtDSOxFfO_Un2fwC8hwv4P4mxDVMYbiaf7V7a/s1280/Zelensky.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1280" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajx-avhDDGNxUFl46ZMxYUYJsst16BDOCpQCPegDHY069vLnAzeCWf3y3yPrR1XyhIWLF68gGnCtdxFsW-aIWP3dWCH2N1IJu0XBJHB7_z_lIbR-ZQ_u66_la7fvKkKeCwm8qRqTed6-m_ze3Sc4DtDSOxFfO_Un2fwC8hwv4P4mxDVMYbiaf7V7a/w200-h141/Zelensky.webp" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Russian invasion of Ukraine seems unstoppable. They say Russia may use chemical weapons and have Chinese military support. Poland might be in danger too and Ukrainian refugees continue to flee the country. The news show shelling, devastation and people crying. Isolating Russia’s economy doesn’t seem to solve the conflict. Zelenskiy declared that Ukraine is not going to join NATO, but this doesn’t seem to be enough for Putin. I wonder what he wants, does he really want to conquer Ukraine and make it part of Russia? The Russian advance is slow and the Ukrainian resistance is tough. Putin’s battle is lost as Ukrainians will never give up even if the Russian army covers the whole territory. And how should the West support Ukraine without provoking the potential escalation of the conflict?<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The return of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe after six years of imprisonment in Iran was great news. I was so touched by her husband Richard’s campaign for her liberation, with sit ins and hunger strikes and his relentless appeal to authorities. He adopted the right strategy though he was often criticised by the authorities. The newspapers wrote about the power of love but apparently money counted more than love. The newspapers reported about a debt of £ 400m that dated back to the 1970s about arms that the UK never delivered. Eventually the two governments reached an agreement and Nazanin was released. Does the need for gas and oil from countries other than Russia have anything to do with this story? Nazanin suffered physical and psychological torture in Iran. She could have died in prison. It is incredible how much global events can affect ordinary people’s lives. In the interviews she looks beautiful and fit and ready to re-start. Her resilience and strength are amazing, an example for all.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstko7Kl2cperW_sGKC33zosIeK6xczkIWLdv90QeVq8B5eKauAiAD-JGzcNNrXIQ53xlj1JCYa-Wkwl5PH_Su1YDpnUzfosttE_cHAyM1FpC5s2pZo3MQt05Xd92aPX3Y8w18VFVPU2ABw69Vyy_PV8uNDPVac-pR3suxE-Qr6kjY-AspsBTBDFB4/s882/Nazanin%20Zaghari-Ratcliffe%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="882" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstko7Kl2cperW_sGKC33zosIeK6xczkIWLdv90QeVq8B5eKauAiAD-JGzcNNrXIQ53xlj1JCYa-Wkwl5PH_Su1YDpnUzfosttE_cHAyM1FpC5s2pZo3MQt05Xd92aPX3Y8w18VFVPU2ABw69Vyy_PV8uNDPVac-pR3suxE-Qr6kjY-AspsBTBDFB4/s320/Nazanin%20Zaghari-Ratcliffe%20.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I will fly to Italy during the Easter break and I am planning to visit some exhibitions in London when I come back. Maybe I will squeeze a visit to the cinema before going back to school too. I am intrigued by the films nominated for the Oscar awards, such as <i>Coda</i>, <i>West Side Story</i> and <i>The Power of the Dog</i>. Here is the link to an interesting article from <i>The Times </i>on Oscar 2022 predictions:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/oscars-2022-predictions-j3vd5j53c"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/oscars-2022-predictions-j3vd5j53c</span></a></span></p><p class="p6" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am crocheting bunnies and eggs and experimented making Ukrainian biscuits and a Japanese cake for my daughter’s birthday. Here are the recipes. I hope they will be useful for Easter time in alternative or together with the traditional chocolate eggs.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Ukrainian biscuits</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6j2z8fr5h3OksiPUGdewEYBtLI5LXCK0fv8wOCZxGq23bGgNmleDiBeasETuFji9UE-QbphWl3nuWAUbfrm9S7XgWyIUuIcDSKgyy0D1ZnDv6ZgtTGEMFoi0-gNyuC1WHFDJEYm5shqelozSpQikhZ7ii0YKsGJNpb3IFuIAUm-ErqpDVsipGNx3/s1000/biscotti%20ucraini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6j2z8fr5h3OksiPUGdewEYBtLI5LXCK0fv8wOCZxGq23bGgNmleDiBeasETuFji9UE-QbphWl3nuWAUbfrm9S7XgWyIUuIcDSKgyy0D1ZnDv6ZgtTGEMFoi0-gNyuC1WHFDJEYm5shqelozSpQikhZ7ii0YKsGJNpb3IFuIAUm-ErqpDVsipGNx3/s320/biscotti%20ucraini.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Moon Almond cookies</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the dough you need: 200 g of self-raising flour, some warm milk, two eggs,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">50 g of ground almonds, 100g of sugar, a pinch of salt, 100 g of melted butter.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: 50 g of ground almonds, one tbsp of melted butter, 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Icing sugar to dust.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix all the ingredient for the dough and chill it in the fridge for half an hour.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the filling melting the butter in the microwave and adding the other ingredients.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roll out the dough and spread the filling on half of the dough. Fold the sheet over then cut the moons with a biscuit cutter. Bake the biscuits on a grease oven tray for 15-20 minutes at 180<span class="s4" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span> C or until ready and finally dust with icing sugar.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Honey cookies</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: one egg and one yolk of an egg, four tbsp of honey, ½ tsp of ground cinnamon, ½ tsp of ground cloves, 200 g of self-raising flour, some warm milk, 50 g of melted butter; icing sugar and the white of an egg for the glaze.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix all the ingredients for the dough starting with the honey, the butter and the milk then add the eggs, cinnamon and cloves and finally the flour. Roll out the dough and cut the biscuits with a biscuit cutter, I used the shape of a star. Bake the biscuits on a grease oven tray for 15-20 minutes at 180<span class="s4" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span> C or until ready and finally prepare the glaze by whisking the white of the egg and adding some icing sugar till the mixture is thick. Spread the glaze on the biscuits and decorate with sprinkles.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fruit cookies</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 100 g of melted butter, two tbsp of sour cream, one egg and the yolk of an egg, 100 g of sugar, 200 g of self-raising sugar, some vanilla extracts, 50 g of chopped nuts and 50 g of dried fruit soaked in warm water and liquor; white of an egg an icing sugar for the glaze.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Soak the dried fruit (e.g., raisins, apricots, mixed peel) in warm water and liquor. Mix all the ingredients of the dough and add the dried fruit. Form a roll and cut it into circles of half an inch. Place the circles on a tray lined with parchment paper and glaze with the whisked white egg mixed with icing sugar. Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes at 180<span class="s4" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span> C or until ready.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Shortcakes with strawberries</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 200 g of strawberries, the juice and the grated zest of a lemon, 100 g of white caster sugar, 50 g of soft brown sugar, 200 g of self-raising flour, 100 g of soft butter, two eggs, some drops of vanilla extracts, two tbsp of single cream; parchment paper.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the strawberries. Chop them in a bowl and add one tbsp of sugar and the juice of a lemon. Prepare the dough whisking the butter and the sugars then add the eggs.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Add the rest of the ingredients and finally fold in the strawberries. The mixture should be sticky so use a spoon to place the biscuits on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes at 180<span class="s4" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span> C or until ready.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Japanese cake</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuqXk8HZlas2MGY2QH6epKocj4vn0O6XrnyKL1zcsiLLpe2Ihn-Tiaf-kc9GYWQplbmwh8u0h2syrUTomLtSIDCU8i3-MTisZ2Dh83pVR6BG2rZc-rTd4Lw1HukusIqJWveMcU9OK2Cea-Jvq_7moTSSfWwozRG5c8gP9fPcC89Ufdv5bmeb8vGCE/s863/Japanese%20cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="863" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuqXk8HZlas2MGY2QH6epKocj4vn0O6XrnyKL1zcsiLLpe2Ihn-Tiaf-kc9GYWQplbmwh8u0h2syrUTomLtSIDCU8i3-MTisZ2Dh83pVR6BG2rZc-rTd4Lw1HukusIqJWveMcU9OK2Cea-Jvq_7moTSSfWwozRG5c8gP9fPcC89Ufdv5bmeb8vGCE/s320/Japanese%20cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the sponge you need:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>six eggs, 150 g of self-raising flour, ½ tsp of baking powder, ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda, 50 g of cornflour, 100 g of white caster sugar, 50 g of melted butter, 100 g of double cream; parchment paper and icing sugar to dust<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: some raspberries and 300 g of whipping cream.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Warm butter and cream. Whisk the eggs with the sugar for 10-15 minutes. Add the cream and butter mixture and fold in the flour together with the baking powder and the bicarbonate of soda and the cornflour. Line a round tin cake with parchment paper and pour in the cake mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180<span class="s4" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span> C or until ready. Let it cool then cut it in half and wet the two halves with milk mixed with some sugar. Whip the cream with two tbsp of sugar and add the raspberries. Spread the cream on the base of the cake and place the other half on top. Decorate the top with icing sugar and chill in the fridge before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7nqMmLzyXLA0iR9ezcUPHxjz5_fWKza1ifPh9wHmdyJ7GODiugI1XaxokzOy5u0nXMerHEqysTZGrBf5OpteE1yl8uDyz9Wda9albh7nlpf2SRFDZ3ZhN5USLVnbFWrxs2ZUJ2Tj1BQXyf5kDDTAOdfeRxQTDhZj0hIDaLA3yEmLkNJ7nrqy_oJs/s1000/Fairy%20cakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7nqMmLzyXLA0iR9ezcUPHxjz5_fWKza1ifPh9wHmdyJ7GODiugI1XaxokzOy5u0nXMerHEqysTZGrBf5OpteE1yl8uDyz9Wda9albh7nlpf2SRFDZ3ZhN5USLVnbFWrxs2ZUJ2Tj1BQXyf5kDDTAOdfeRxQTDhZj0hIDaLA3yEmLkNJ7nrqy_oJs/w200-h150/Fairy%20cakes.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">At The Park School the student made delicious fairy cakes for Red Nose Day and scones just before Mother’s Day. They were so good that they sold out and we all had sugary snacks during the breaks. My students are also working on religious pictures inspired by Jesus Christ’s passion and resurrection. I think their approach is very original though it might seem naïve at first sight. But this is the reason why I find their artwork so fascinating and unique.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My daughter took part in an art project at ISL London for the Sakura Festival, that is, the two weeks dedicated to the blooming of cherry blossoms and to spring. She helped the Japanese students build up trees with more than 2000 origami cranes attached to the branches. An amazing achievement.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjxX_UFFNWRxhnfABbR8pNfPgklzG4Rxuf67wlnb5YqzZgkMVoGpDCkXLpw1ktizHQgSyFNxr6-Q8gs-4fhhkpx6uk8Oh94Ft2EXNZ7zKs0rSTSCYQjdYZqIu6-83NPX4wi4WM20I4CPar7MOId26GJBxzbnf0AT_QnIf3QMBQgWY32o45w58y-FD/s1600/Japanese%20project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjxX_UFFNWRxhnfABbR8pNfPgklzG4Rxuf67wlnb5YqzZgkMVoGpDCkXLpw1ktizHQgSyFNxr6-Q8gs-4fhhkpx6uk8Oh94Ft2EXNZ7zKs0rSTSCYQjdYZqIu6-83NPX4wi4WM20I4CPar7MOId26GJBxzbnf0AT_QnIf3QMBQgWY32o45w58y-FD/s320/Japanese%20project.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am intensifying the writing of occasional pieces, that is, essays on Margaret Atwood and other writers or poets, poetry and art reviews, which are mostly commissioned by online magazines such as The High Window, London Grip, Tears in the Fence, Write Out Loud, Pulsar, The Temz and others, or requested by fellow writers that like my style of reviewing. I am very glad they appreciate my work and I enjoy this job.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope the Easter break will bring good weather and rest to everybody despite the difficult times that seem to endure in our frantic world.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> 👍💮🌸</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-27597687433642647792022-03-12T01:10:00.003-08:002022-03-12T01:10:40.116-08:00Ukrainian conflict, reviews, day job and catching up with my creative self<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVSxsUaPTNBsJ6cTI6kmgPDVXj6aTJLRizzsmVbC9p0aX8NUOWcpJqCC3RFUijeL3mgtf9iTAJgRDjkz7KKp19fWhmS3MDt5PhPqcKnnLlx5L0DpUzmLOnTdchXOSDa83La6yK_sNHtf-coXyjYP-S29Z4qurbKv4n0pymjwTVq0q5f3WDBQ9cLTce=s960" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="960" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVSxsUaPTNBsJ6cTI6kmgPDVXj6aTJLRizzsmVbC9p0aX8NUOWcpJqCC3RFUijeL3mgtf9iTAJgRDjkz7KKp19fWhmS3MDt5PhPqcKnnLlx5L0DpUzmLOnTdchXOSDa83La6yK_sNHtf-coXyjYP-S29Z4qurbKv4n0pymjwTVq0q5f3WDBQ9cLTce=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The Russian invasion of Ukraine is such a scary moment in our current history that it’s hard to believe this is really happening and that I am here to witness it. The situation is apparently clear, Putin invaded Ukraine claiming the country is part of Russia and he does not want the NATO or the West to interfere. But the political and economic implications are more complex. Political manoeuvres of the different leaders involved directly or indirectly in the conflict and economic retaliations might be the core points. Wars are always a disaster especially for civilians, as we can see from the news. Soldiers die though now some of the military operations are performed remotely. But war is also a profitable business; it makes money and distracts people from other issue. Who remembers Boris Johnson’s partygate? Or Biden’s controversial evacuation of Afghanistan? Silvio Berlusconi, who was Italian Prime Minister in several governments in the 1990s and in 2001, 2006, 2008 and 2011, was great friends with Vladimir Putin.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhEMf3DZb9h59IId8bB26VWLceS0QadVxDap3qq6-ufACxug7SrmXNNVFlAhzf3HB9JMlpbW7qiSF_A5To-gZKCkpy2YWzRg-5lByKvmTwCqh76tIaV-UzUsmBZhl2hEnMS4D9uo6IU5F9wnFoXT7ZGOCdBdtsRloALpXBAINHNX8m1LmmtXjrGJ3v=s300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhEMf3DZb9h59IId8bB26VWLceS0QadVxDap3qq6-ufACxug7SrmXNNVFlAhzf3HB9JMlpbW7qiSF_A5To-gZKCkpy2YWzRg-5lByKvmTwCqh76tIaV-UzUsmBZhl2hEnMS4D9uo6IU5F9wnFoXT7ZGOCdBdtsRloALpXBAINHNX8m1LmmtXjrGJ3v" width="300" /></a></span>The news coverage is only about the Ukrainian conflict at the moment. There is so much information around and videos too that we feel immersed in the war and in the dramatic effects on the population. Protests, sanctions and boycotts of Russian products all over the world give a sense of cohesion against Putin’s Russia though they do not seem to end the invasion. If we go back in history, Russian people have never given up and only a revolution might make a real change. The strength of Ukrainian resistance was unexpected though I wonder how long it can last. Besides, there is the risk of a nuclear conflict that would provoke a real disaster for everybody. The European dependence on the Russian gas and oil, especially for Italy and Germany, is another crucial point. They are planning to reduce this dependence by half though I guess it won’t be easy and immediate. That’s why we have an increase in energy bills both in Italy and in the UK. Z is the symbol of Putin’s regime, a cryptic sign of Russian propaganda. At times the whole story seems so farfetched that I feel as if I am experiencing a fictional reality, especially on Youtube videos and TikTok, despite the bombings, deaths and refugees.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZihjgnZkUjYO4kHmLuQlw8g7Z9mkfznIncKAKGmjpABQFroOHbs7U3FzKQr6J_MrtvbDdL5NtaqluLGt1wO_aLbr_8foD35WkSoWag5HAVENOFiK8jt8eW1Hc12A9uI7fPRS6wQKHomp3iZa5EOrEnasc6YX34pEjpxJMhR9_TXyLS_LvAb6JJy53=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZihjgnZkUjYO4kHmLuQlw8g7Z9mkfznIncKAKGmjpABQFroOHbs7U3FzKQr6J_MrtvbDdL5NtaqluLGt1wO_aLbr_8foD35WkSoWag5HAVENOFiK8jt8eW1Hc12A9uI7fPRS6wQKHomp3iZa5EOrEnasc6YX34pEjpxJMhR9_TXyLS_LvAb6JJy53=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the meantime, I carry on with my job at The Park School trying to catch up with my articles, reviews and creative work at the same time. I must say it is hard sometimes to keep up with everything. I enjoy my role as a teaching assistant, I like my pupils and I have a good relationship with my colleagues, but at the end of the day I feel exhausted. When I come back home, I chill out browsing on social media and doing less demanding things for at least half an hour. After a good dinner, I feel better and go back to my creative work. But time is tight and I need to go to bed by 10.30 if I want to start again the next day refreshed enough. A part time job would have been better for me but I couldn’t find one. Full time jobs are more available at the moment. During the weekend I relax but also need to catch up with the house chores, though I ask my husband and my daughter to help me. I plan carefully my readings, my writing and artwork, making a list of priorities according to the deadlines, but Saturday and Sunday go so quickly. It is tough; I can still attend online readings, some workshops and a few exhibitions. I had to cut some things, such as volunteering at The Lightbox and the art group in Chobham. I don’t even have the time to visit my elderly friend, so I am just phoning them at the moment. I still attend yoga classes and go swimming, write poetry and reviews, carry on with my research on Margaret Atwood (I am writing two papers for two conferences I have planned before the summer and I am also revising an article on <i>The Testaments</i> that has just been accepted in <i>Margaret Atwood Studies Journal</i>). At the end of February some of my paintings were on display for two weeks at The Lightbox for a charity auction to raise money to replace the Kitty, an event organised by the Basingstoke Canal Society (<a href="https://basingstoke-canal.org.uk/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://basingstoke-canal.org.uk/</span></a> ). They are inspired by the Basingstoke canal flowing near Woking centre. I still do my crochet in the evening; I am making finger puppets for my granddaughter and I have a project in progress of the globe of the earth with all the continents in different colours. It is an installation of sorts linked to climate change and environmental concerns.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAHlL9A-nKCTbvQYvBX8EbjSPxQGMG_JWJ_NKwY5TjW1j0nLJwo8c--t2WW2dKzYDKX2fDg-CnQD1WdZB-bo3nbeMnU3YH-H-2ds5PoYNkCibkTIErt7tcbbvUPHImlC8EwiWgcDTr3GShzB62vbfloh8Rf4lP_sQj-ra9clbmL6pHCamBLU2Y_A52=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAHlL9A-nKCTbvQYvBX8EbjSPxQGMG_JWJ_NKwY5TjW1j0nLJwo8c--t2WW2dKzYDKX2fDg-CnQD1WdZB-bo3nbeMnU3YH-H-2ds5PoYNkCibkTIErt7tcbbvUPHImlC8EwiWgcDTr3GShzB62vbfloh8Rf4lP_sQj-ra9clbmL6pHCamBLU2Y_A52=s320" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some of my poems have been recently published here:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Monitoring my body<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.spillingcocoa.com/monitoring-my-body-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.spillingcocoa.com/monitoring-my-body-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/</span></a></span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The colour blue</span></b></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://thefridaypoem.com/the-colour-blue/">https://thefridaypoem.com/the-colour-blue/</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: red;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">I have something to say about crochet</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.spillingcocoa.com/i-have-something-to-say-about-crochet-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.spillingcocoa.com/i-have-something-to-say-about-crochet-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/</span></a></span></p><p class="p4" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Tasting blackberries</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tworiverspress.com/2021/12/07/tasting-blackberries-a-poem-from-carla-scarano-dantonio/">https://tworiverspress.com/2021/12/07/tasting-blackberries-a-poem-from-carla-scarano-dantonio/</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: red;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">You can begin your journey of life anew</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The lesser loss</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.therainbowpoems.co.uk/issue1-2022/carla-scarano-dantonio">https://www.therainbowpoems.co.uk/issue1-2022/carla-scarano-dantonio</a></span><span class="s3" style="color: red;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Words are good </b>(Acumen 102)</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And Dreich will publish five of my poems in the Spring issue (April 2022).</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the past few months, I worked on a number of reviews. I enjoyed all the books I read finding new voices and new perspectives. It was engrossing and fascinating. Visiting and reviewing art exhibitions in London and in Woking was very interesting too. I reviewed Hogarth’s exhibition at Tate Britain and Hokusai at the British Museum for London Grip, Bridget Riley for Woking Writers Circle’s website, and the exhibition on Australia at Tate Modern for Litro magazine. Here are the links:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hokusai: The Great Book of Everything</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/12/hokusai-the-great-book-of-everything-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=218&wppa-photo=4162">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/12/hokusai-the-great-book-of-everything-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=218&wppa-photo=4162</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hogarth and Europe</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/12/hogarth-and-europe-uncovering-city-life-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=219&wppa-photo=4207">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/12/hogarth-and-europe-uncovering-city-life-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&lang=en&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=219&wppa-photo=4207</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bridget Riley: The Pleasures of Sight</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/01/04/bridget-riley-the-pleasures-of-sight/">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2022/01/04/bridget-riley-the-pleasures-of-sight/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A Year in Art: Australia 1992</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.litromagazine.com/reviews/a-year-in-art-australia-1992/">https://www.litromagazine.com/reviews/a-year-in-art-australia-1992/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl-9t2gIdECiWPLpiUu_4OZr7Tc0GKXQ3Ywr2Z1jBnZQ7QtNQf4gu5pN5GIiVkAT9F7r-TESJGvkXQDvB5rNQ7tHX4YLisLb4RE2KFLnBbFBlGSuVbYG-Tp63YllWgJFZFjKA1_vUk5tc3LgxZu34w-KNSDAIsB6LLIOXyWRZFNqUCXVz_AQXWDYvw=s836" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="668" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl-9t2gIdECiWPLpiUu_4OZr7Tc0GKXQ3Ywr2Z1jBnZQ7QtNQf4gu5pN5GIiVkAT9F7r-TESJGvkXQDvB5rNQ7tHX4YLisLb4RE2KFLnBbFBlGSuVbYG-Tp63YllWgJFZFjKA1_vUk5tc3LgxZu34w-KNSDAIsB6LLIOXyWRZFNqUCXVz_AQXWDYvw=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I also visited the exhibitions on <i>Peru: A Journey in Time</i> at the British Museum and <i>Albrecht Dürer</i> at the National Gallery. Dürer was such a brilliant painter and engraver. He worked at the time of Raphael and Giovanni Bellini, whom he met during his journeys in Italy, and was influenced by Italian Renaissance art. Classical proportions and the study of perspective were essential for a painter of the 16<sup>th</sup> century. His watercolours are fascinating, delicate and detailed at the same time without being overworked. For me, his best work on display at the exhibition were the engravings. The lines are so fine, the details so effective that it is hard to believe that it was made by hand. He travelled to Italy and the Low Countries taking sketches of people, plants and animals in his journals. My favourite pieces were ‘Melancholia I’ and ‘The knight, Death and the Devil’, two surreal works so modern and thought-provoking.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUVz6DE5aIElVVCdHHClPrdNwbjAUJPwU2qvTSvIPpE8JKetPl83huw_Gs77Ykrq_EwETn48M9ky4R266cVVR4RPaAHcklPK11ZLYN6Unn_N-zpBixTSJEclEKnOWeeCH_aRXVKrRJZVYkauvpuxOcRTZPQDR0wLYz9SIrWeE5LY-A0m6Uacxpvmc3=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUVz6DE5aIElVVCdHHClPrdNwbjAUJPwU2qvTSvIPpE8JKetPl83huw_Gs77Ykrq_EwETn48M9ky4R266cVVR4RPaAHcklPK11ZLYN6Unn_N-zpBixTSJEclEKnOWeeCH_aRXVKrRJZVYkauvpuxOcRTZPQDR0wLYz9SIrWeE5LY-A0m6Uacxpvmc3=w320-h240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The exhibition on Peru at the British Museum was comprehensive and engaging. The works on display gave a clear idea of the artifacts produced in the different regions and the captions explained well the different kinds of environment present in the country and how people adapted to them. They had an irrigation system with subterranean water channels and innovative agricultural techniques that allowed the population of the Andes to thrive in challenging climates. Some of the population named are the Inca, Chavin, Wari, Nasca and Moche. They lived in the mountains, deserts and tropical forests. For them, nature was a living being that sustained people’s lives. Therefore, the natural and the supernatural are connected in a cycle of life and death that is linked with the past, that is, with ancestors. In the iconography and tapestry, snakes, jaguars and birds are often present symbolising respectively the underworld, the earth and the sky. The world of the dead is strictly connected to the living, for this reason human sacrifice was seen as a continuation of life in another dimension and not as an interruption. Blood had a special power for them and was used as a medicine and in potions. My favourite pieces were the vessels which were used in everyday life and in ceremonies. They are beautifully crafted in the shape of animals and human figures. Some tapestries were interesting too with apparently simple geometric patterns and stylised shapes. On the same day we went to see the new show of Le Cirque du Soleil, Luzia, at the Royal Albert Hall. The atmosphere and choreographies were mesmerising. There were all the traditional circus acts such as acrobats, rope walking, juggling and clowns but with a twist and the unexpected pouring of water from the ceiling. We loved it.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5O4WNFUA-04Z2cwC9e3pHS9W7l2DM7ZzyZqi87e_eRWxWZwIcoLduYc92R6BgKMztgpJ6JzoZL-jpefdr_VQr_GDNn59falVZe8Bh79yJLfoBorjz8vXGWL3moNOv2ZDfDMfEA6hbdxbbD--MXry02QT7zP5McJWLqZZ0fO06xJw2t2vs8K7U3o0A=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5O4WNFUA-04Z2cwC9e3pHS9W7l2DM7ZzyZqi87e_eRWxWZwIcoLduYc92R6BgKMztgpJ6JzoZL-jpefdr_VQr_GDNn59falVZe8Bh79yJLfoBorjz8vXGWL3moNOv2ZDfDMfEA6hbdxbbD--MXry02QT7zP5McJWLqZZ0fO06xJw2t2vs8K7U3o0A=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are the links to my recent poetry reviews:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Anna Saunders, <i>Feverfew<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/2021/12/17/reviews-for-winter-2021/%22%20%5Cl%20%22Anna%20Saunders">https://thehighwindowpress.com/2021/12/17/reviews-for-winter-2021/#Anna%20Saunders</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Joy Arjo, <i>An American Sunrise</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetemzreview.com/review-carla-scarano.html">https://www.thetemzreview.com/review-carla-scarano.html</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ramy Al-Asheq, <i>Ever since I did not die</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.litromagazine.com/usa/2021/12/book-review-ever-since-i-did-not-die/">https://www.litromagazine.com/usa/2021/12/book-review-ever-since-i-did-not-die/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">David Cooke, <i>Sicilian Elephants</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/12/london-grip-poetry-review-david-cooke-3/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/12/london-grip-poetry-review-david-cooke-3/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hannah Lowe, <i>The Kids</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/02/london-grip-poetry-review-hannah-lowe/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/02/london-grip-poetry-review-hannah-lowe/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ariadne Radi Cor,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>L’Italie L’ondon</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/01/07/litalie-london-by-ariadne-radi-cor-knives-forks-spoons-press/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-7602">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/01/07/litalie-london-by-ariadne-radi-cor-knives-forks-spoons-press/#like-7602</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Carolyn Jess-Cooke, <i>We Have to Leave the Earth</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=120763">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=120763</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Helen Mort and Katrina Naomi, <i>Same but Different</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/02/21/same-but-different-by-helen-mort-katrina-naomi-hazel-press/">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/02/21/same-but-different-by-helen-mort-katrina-naomi-hazel-press/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ikhda Ayuning Maharsi Degoul, <i>The Goldfish</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/02/15/the-goldfish-by-ikhda-ayuning-maharsi-degoul-illustrated-by-emma-wright-the-emma-press%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc/">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/02/15/the-goldfish-by-ikhda-ayuning-maharsi-degoul-illustrated-by-emma-wright-the-emma-press%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Norman Erikson Pasaribu, <i>Happy stories mostly</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.litromagazine.com/usa/2022/01/book-review-happy-stories-mostly/">https://www.litromagazine.com/usa/2022/01/book-review-happy-stories-mostly/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">John Freeman, <i>Plato’s peach</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/01/london-grip-poetry-review-john-freeman/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/01/london-grip-poetry-review-john-freeman/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eileen Duggan, <i>Selected Poems</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2022/">https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2022/</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Finola Scott, <i>Count the Ways</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=120899">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=120899</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jane Burn, <i>Be Feared</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=119501">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=119501</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Graham Mort, <i>Samara</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/01/09/samara-by-graham-mort-illustrations-by-claire-jefferson-4word-press/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-7618">https://tearsinthefence.com/2022/01/09/samara-by-graham-mort-illustrations-by-claire-jefferson-4word-press/#like-7618</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Barbara Henning, <i>Ferne: A Detroit Story</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetemzreview.com/review-carla-scarano-dantanio-henning.html">https://www.thetemzreview.com/review-carla-scarano-dantanio-henning.html</a></span><span class="s4" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzd43quAEZ9OJpObVHEuJHDcMiz_okKBvPA3YJ3VQ8-sEcB2Uyh9UGW_zYqSrV-Xbbd7nqpEsBIr_kWTxZF_zLNUuao7UwYR9LSSthyFxlid8Fcda9FDkIOyWDKVUfYuQXKY8ubzB8b-_Tu0vUC5hxUSIDDoIisEbBCT5-TpoU5sJm5UMAqEuyX7Nt=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzd43quAEZ9OJpObVHEuJHDcMiz_okKBvPA3YJ3VQ8-sEcB2Uyh9UGW_zYqSrV-Xbbd7nqpEsBIr_kWTxZF_zLNUuao7UwYR9LSSthyFxlid8Fcda9FDkIOyWDKVUfYuQXKY8ubzB8b-_Tu0vUC5hxUSIDDoIisEbBCT5-TpoU5sJm5UMAqEuyX7Nt=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Spring is struggling to overcome winter this year. I find frost on the window screen in the morning from time to time. At school, I still wear my hat and gloves during my outdoor duties. I was used to early spring in Rome when at Carnival you can wear thin costumes and parade in the streets. We had Pancake Day at school on Shrove Tuesday with delicious pancakes with cinnamon and lemon offered by teachers. I must say I have my favourite lessons: art, English, RE and cultural studies. Maths can be challenging as I am not good with numbers; Food Tech is good fun. I am having a great experience at The Park School, the pupils are cute and the environment is friendly. Looking after children with special needs is a mission of sorts rather than a job and involves emotional and professional skills. I feel lucky to have such an opportunity to add to my knowledge and it feeds my creativity as well giving me the chance to explore different views.<br /></span><p></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-72482462409199801502022-02-26T00:17:00.001-08:002022-02-26T00:17:44.662-08:00Covid, Sanremo, Italian presidency and a cake for the Queen’s jubilee<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I had Covid at the beginning of February with mild symptoms that lasted for about ten days. I had three doses which helped eventually but I still felt poorly.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The overall sensation was so weird, like stepping into a parallel dimension. I had to self-isolate for at least 5 days and carry on isolating if the tests were positive for ten days. I only had a mild cold and some coughing but also headache, upset stomach and dizziness, the GP and 119 said that my symptoms were due to the fact that my body was fighting the virus.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">My temperature was normal. The worst thing was that my head was confused for a few days and I found it hard to concentrate. I also felt a general sense of weakness and I had to rest a lot. Even reading was difficult, both books and online articles. Lack of appetite was the other issue, so I lost the two kilos I had gained during the Christmas holidays. As the days passed and I still tested positive, though I started to feel better, lack of motivation emerged, sort of a mild sense of depression. Nothing appealed me, I couldn’t focus properly and though I had some work to do (commissioned reviews, an academic article to complete and some work for IBO), all my body and mind were concentrated on fighting Covid and how to get out of it as soon as possible. After a week the T line became very faint, barely visible, and appeared only after 10-15 minutes.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg79mhRO4sCt-n0nxaIXXs8dx44aSW4EaHj2Iikj7909nvmNiMq5AIMD5FRrD5qsCKNTdeu2JRHEbNBvXhGzXy7Kz2Xl6hFlzG5F5ioRtRX1dQDNTrS2EN_ynjKBs4jUsPqcRirbBkrJpyYXeQlkeSM7yW0V6lcmRWyDdX0BZGsmnrTwxqwu4mT2ldW=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg79mhRO4sCt-n0nxaIXXs8dx44aSW4EaHj2Iikj7909nvmNiMq5AIMD5FRrD5qsCKNTdeu2JRHEbNBvXhGzXy7Kz2Xl6hFlzG5F5ioRtRX1dQDNTrS2EN_ynjKBs4jUsPqcRirbBkrJpyYXeQlkeSM7yW0V6lcmRWyDdX0BZGsmnrTwxqwu4mT2ldW=s320" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The C line was very strong. I thought I was clear but when I phoned 111 they told me I still had Covid and had to self-isolate until day 10 and take tests every day. I was also worried about infecting my husband and my daughter who live with me. My daughter caught it five days after me and my husband followed her after a few days. Their symptoms were mild as they had three doses too but they had to isolate for ten days as well.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I thought about my half term week. I had planned to visit my sons in the north. Could we still do it? And I could not see my daughter Valentina either, only Skype with her. Would it be possible to celebrate her birthday on the 16<sup>th</sup> of February at her home? I was upset with myself. I felt my body was letting me down though I had followed all the rules. The only things I could do without much effort were crocheting and some paintings but only easy things such as quick sketches with a limited palette or only pen drawings. I completed a blanket for my granddaughter and some granny squares. Everything seemed tasteless not just food and drinks. Lack of enthusiasm and motivation were certainly what affected me most. It was unsettling and bewildering as I am usually a person full of ideas and eager to experiment. Luckily, I didn’t need to go out shopping as the fridge was full and I had all I needed at home. I could still browse social media, phone friends and play wordle, which is quite addictive. When you start to look for the right word you can’t leave it; it is a competition with your own self. Days seemed endless and aimless and suddenly ended without a purpose or anything interesting to record. It was a limited perspective, a forced rest that was OK for a few days but then was irritating. I tried to get busy with cooking and some cleaning, but it all seemed a big effort I couldn’t achieve. It was hopeless until it ended. It reminded me when I was a child and was in bed for days with measles or chicken pox. I remember I was an active child so as soon as I felt better, I was out of bed playing with my sister and with my toys. But I am much older now and need to be patient with my body.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7HPhms4GszIUhed-RtFzzuf69l7dUUZ2Ob4kI-08sSDzw_QOxPHmt7B-o4766sIwzKOQnqfk74FeqD24E692c-XYtEePH6obDVx6ovrM773MSvJV5rXAso3xb7Lnub9dhPv1AlGkhxf0AWTl5_-vRYYZ-SQwihQ1o2cRDvngKxgh4Gpu9CaNWauEm=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7HPhms4GszIUhed-RtFzzuf69l7dUUZ2Ob4kI-08sSDzw_QOxPHmt7B-o4766sIwzKOQnqfk74FeqD24E692c-XYtEePH6obDVx6ovrM773MSvJV5rXAso3xb7Lnub9dhPv1AlGkhxf0AWTl5_-vRYYZ-SQwihQ1o2cRDvngKxgh4Gpu9CaNWauEm=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the real world stories continued to unravel. The Italian parliament elected the 13<sup>th</sup> president or better re-elected Sergio Mattarella after seven failed attempts to choose a different candidate. It was the best choice eventually that reinforced the stability of the government and confirmed the popularity of Mattarella, a key figure in the Italian recovery plan. His election was cheered by the whole parliament except for the party of the extreme right, Fratelli d’Italia led by Giorgia Meloni. In his speech after being re-elected, Mattarella emphasised unity, the respect of the institutions and of the constitution, dignity, solidarity and social commitment. His sense of responsibility is an example for all and his words do not seem empty but honest and genuine. When he spoke, he was slightly emotional, clearly aware of the trust and respect that the members of parliament and the Italian people feel for him. He mentioned Mario Draghi and pope Francis too in his speech; together with Mattarella, they are a triumvirate of sorts that seems to grant Italy a hopeful future both in its economical and ethical choices.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnZsRLl-umV_PObokos2Js6ubhNkVW561-c5MkxK8-e1oRCD9-Cuhjo9eKi1rfn4m_BB_se7ypZDYF3m2F5yZG4lxDDIq3TCy5tJRPOjBCQaHyt_yk8Hy0MbkwMe77oO0ojdib8xoJxe7v9yuFP1DXYcEvqZHVig82v6ZsYpDzi3ZXXssSneFa5e4c=s1182" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1182" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnZsRLl-umV_PObokos2Js6ubhNkVW561-c5MkxK8-e1oRCD9-Cuhjo9eKi1rfn4m_BB_se7ypZDYF3m2F5yZG4lxDDIq3TCy5tJRPOjBCQaHyt_yk8Hy0MbkwMe77oO0ojdib8xoJxe7v9yuFP1DXYcEvqZHVig82v6ZsYpDzi3ZXXssSneFa5e4c=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mattarella’s sense of responsibility and his faithfulness to institutions reminds me of the queen. They are both elderly people but have never wavered and seem to hold on and fulfil all their duties. The queen, almost 96 now, is going to celebrate 70 years of reign, a great achievement and a beacon of light in this troubled time. She always inspires in me a sense of gratitude for her long-lasting commitment to the nation, her tireless work that is an example of sincere dedication. The story of her life, her style, her outfits, hats and brooches do not seem to fade. She conveys stability and fairness as ever and I feel moved by her small slightly bent figure that went through so many things, positive and negative in her own family, not to mention her latest bereavement, always showing a positive spirit. For me she is an example of dignity and commitment as Mattarella is.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6cIcr4pM4JAJ9PyhNLWt2ANJVHptTOx3doSYszdA8iDK4l1hPIngrvfDbfaPgiND3bSBZqajjPtn81MhTFN3teRG1ZkeuwG-fpgPsfy7scQbP_vYhrID2k1oqdCaKwQN87XSpxsVzrA_TbheuFSyBmr_oxGTL8SmOk7VlS2cambnRg8z5_JERILk4=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6cIcr4pM4JAJ9PyhNLWt2ANJVHptTOx3doSYszdA8iDK4l1hPIngrvfDbfaPgiND3bSBZqajjPtn81MhTFN3teRG1ZkeuwG-fpgPsfy7scQbP_vYhrID2k1oqdCaKwQN87XSpxsVzrA_TbheuFSyBmr_oxGTL8SmOk7VlS2cambnRg8z5_JERILk4=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I followed the 72nd festival of the Italian song in Sanremo. The theatre was full this time with the audience wearing FFP2 black masks. Amadeus hosted the event creating a simple familiar atmosphere in the best Italian style. Some songs were weird, a bit of nonsense but apparently successful. I liked a few of them such as ‘Sei Tu’ by Fabrizio Moro, ‘Ogni Volta è cosí’ by Emma and ‘Duecentomila Ore’ by Ana Mena. I agreed that the winner song was the best song: ‘Brividi’ (shivers) by Mahmood & Blanco. Here are a few links to videos:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHrBgYmxqE8xS0Cao4tTtsSbnir3ARMojBZRepW1qgq-x30AqTQ3aGlAEQ4IbWyXMOfFiip00QmLayrYSl1bIhstRvflbUOxKFZNS55FkvYWhHuOm-dDzjIE8wF1YUerWjBM77E6pKvttoyJ0xzIsMnckiP8hzCfpMPQJdGhX5Otvu3rirTPDjgD5E=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHrBgYmxqE8xS0Cao4tTtsSbnir3ARMojBZRepW1qgq-x30AqTQ3aGlAEQ4IbWyXMOfFiip00QmLayrYSl1bIhstRvflbUOxKFZNS55FkvYWhHuOm-dDzjIE8wF1YUerWjBM77E6pKvttoyJ0xzIsMnckiP8hzCfpMPQJdGhX5Otvu3rirTPDjgD5E=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://eurovisionworld.com/esc/italy-mahmood-blanco-wins-sanremo-2022"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://eurovisionworld.com/esc/italy-mahmood-blanco-wins-sanremo-2022</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA_5P3u0apQ"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA_5P3u0apQ</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the second time that Mahmood has won at Sanremo and he definitely deserves it.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijipBGgI_njzqQHMDaqy72HzXwxtDZuxr5Cc_mc6sk9dYQuUfKRM1prE0nej_ogCaGtMIwghVwPNG1ytPv9wvranDQ3anwzsvRwJ64FOUbVl3CqO21CH_1XWot_ZIzNVOuw1po6KDx2YFblcs9FxNUuGvzSG3JovTttqEOeYfDFw-hBvxy14mxRxsS=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijipBGgI_njzqQHMDaqy72HzXwxtDZuxr5Cc_mc6sk9dYQuUfKRM1prE0nej_ogCaGtMIwghVwPNG1ytPv9wvranDQ3anwzsvRwJ64FOUbVl3CqO21CH_1XWot_ZIzNVOuw1po6KDx2YFblcs9FxNUuGvzSG3JovTttqEOeYfDFw-hBvxy14mxRxsS=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Eventually, I managed to visit my sons in the north. My husband and my daughter couldn’t come as my husband still tested positive and my daughter was recovering from the Covid symptoms and felt too weak to travel. I left on my own facing storm Eunice and snow. It was all right at the end and I arrived at Wakefield safe and sound. When I was there, I played all the time with my granddaughter Violetta. We had great fun crawling around together and rolling on the carpet. With her little fingers she is starting to handle shapes and put them in place, matching wooden or plastic sticks in the right holes. We also looked at a lot of books about numbers, animals and colours and she danced at the sound of her musical toys. I bought a new hat on the motorway at WH Smith to protect my head from the wind and she loved to put it on and play with it. She is a bit fussy about food sometimes; she has a sweet tooth and prefers meat to vegetables or potatoes. I also visited my other son in Newcastle. We had a delicious dinner at Pani’s, a Sardinian restaurant that serves gorgeous Mediterranean food. We had culurgiones (pasta parcels filled with pecorino and potatoes), ravioli, a Mediterranean starter with grilled vegetables, fabulous artichokes, gnocchetti sardi (Sardinian dumplings) and pane carasau (a toasted thin kind of bread). The next morning, my son and his girlfriend invited me to a special breakfast in a bakery where they usually go in the weekend. I had a fabulous Italian style cappuccino and a frangipane little cake with a pear in the middle. All the cakes and sweets looked appetizing but I couldn’t taste all of them. Next time I will try something different. Coming back, I stopped in Wakefield one night and then drove back home on the Sunday morning. On the motorway I just had to slow down and drive on the left lane because of the wind and pouring rain. I was proud of myself when I arrived back home on Sunday afternoon as I could had done the trip all by myself, feeling safe and confident.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnFt80wx2Uev3xxdE8lvr0EioGNfawtjTR993JzQXLILicihUEZXVxDCWnoaVPWQvdI8kcQPxd-MT_Kql4zS42kLXc-Lu-wUlM3BUMqMGvvU8yq2Ldg-tBFvi_2E9t10-KWsGsz7inXi371PBlM2fPe4t8ZT-bcNc65mTDPzZi2ypBvf_U0lu48Pt6=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnFt80wx2Uev3xxdE8lvr0EioGNfawtjTR993JzQXLILicihUEZXVxDCWnoaVPWQvdI8kcQPxd-MT_Kql4zS42kLXc-Lu-wUlM3BUMqMGvvU8yq2Ldg-tBFvi_2E9t10-KWsGsz7inXi371PBlM2fPe4t8ZT-bcNc65mTDPzZi2ypBvf_U0lu48Pt6=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We also managed to visit my autistic daughter Valentina for her birthday. She was thrilled. My other daughter had made a dress for her with the picture of Leela, Valentina’s favourite Futurama Character, on the front as a present. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXtng0byX05UaSppL3fVpc1P3ir1YcivUIBJv3a1YKUSVCPw19QU9OZwtk0A1Favn5lMjtdxub9BmIkhpEYIhTmodVbuA_gGxGL7I6rRoumGjaYB8pjXxjOqeOBXqpE7Yy6Pn0ZLl4F6JvcsFYXNUgfuHk66eYUqfQ0Tjr66xXWY0lrRLdvetXKGRo=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXtng0byX05UaSppL3fVpc1P3ir1YcivUIBJv3a1YKUSVCPw19QU9OZwtk0A1Favn5lMjtdxub9BmIkhpEYIhTmodVbuA_gGxGL7I6rRoumGjaYB8pjXxjOqeOBXqpE7Yy6Pn0ZLl4F6JvcsFYXNUgfuHk66eYUqfQ0Tjr66xXWY0lrRLdvetXKGRo=s320" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />We decorated her room together with ‘happy birthday’ banners and balloons and had tortellini for lunch finishing with a cake. It was a sponge cake filled with Chantilly cream and decorated with berries and flaked almonds. It was meant for the Platinum Jubilee cake competition but I made it too late. I also made a cheesecake version with Philadelphia for my husband’s birthday, which was in February too. Here are the recipes:</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Lemon sponge cake with Chantilly cream and berries</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the sponge you need: five eggs, 100 g of sugar, 200 g of self-raising flour, two tbsp of honey, some drops of vanilla extracts, grated zest and juice of a lemon, 30 g of melted butter, one tsp of baking powder.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the filling you need: 200 ml of whipped cream, some custard cream.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwhM7XLFVWzOFrzp9eaNw_rvHxzGRuWI5p01OLurpPngdBmdorlu4MRGvkMLzkhM0PAtwX-3wkLmMy1b4Ax4a5cq-uZbZRU2uLU_jS1bnc-NkBv2_0i0RgiXtfOo3OZbcDo7se9rUNzN1rWEQO_GyMXdsISCAvvbAqvz21To0QqKktz_nazhk3UbxQ=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwhM7XLFVWzOFrzp9eaNw_rvHxzGRuWI5p01OLurpPngdBmdorlu4MRGvkMLzkhM0PAtwX-3wkLmMy1b4Ax4a5cq-uZbZRU2uLU_jS1bnc-NkBv2_0i0RgiXtfOo3OZbcDo7se9rUNzN1rWEQO_GyMXdsISCAvvbAqvz21To0QqKktz_nazhk3UbxQ=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the sponge whisking the eggs and the sugar for 10 minutes using an electric mixer. Fold in the rest of the ingredients and bake at 180 C for 30-45 minutes. Let the cake cool and prepare the Chantilly cream, whipping the cream with a tbsp of sugar and then mixing it with the custard cream. Cut the cake in half and wet the two halves with milk mixed with water. Spread half of the Chantilly cream on the bottom half and add part of the berries (I used blueberries and raspberries). Cover the cake with the other half and decorated the top of the cake with the rest of the Chantilly cream, the berries and the almond flakes. Chill it in the fridge for a few hours before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Philadelphia and berries cheesecake</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the base you need: 100 g of ground almonds, 80 g of melted butter, 100 g of ground digestive biscuits.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the cream you need: 180 g of Philadelphia cheese, 200 g of extra thick double cream, two tbsp of honey, some drops of vanilla essence.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg61aYRIdOlSlMeFolfhgaWY9iaDpqB1uCQ0T45gGSlFxKYa4RXRROBtK-A04qZMUy30h5fMv1ixjfds0P5AcvRRCDlHXHVb4AHON3zGnqILQQwCrkPcI79ForKguQir1lqSUsv9Z_F8iZ7rDt3B26BsKnigcjmVYanPQDa7zb4awNfltj5zGidbBTm=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg61aYRIdOlSlMeFolfhgaWY9iaDpqB1uCQ0T45gGSlFxKYa4RXRROBtK-A04qZMUy30h5fMv1ixjfds0P5AcvRRCDlHXHVb4AHON3zGnqILQQwCrkPcI79ForKguQir1lqSUsv9Z_F8iZ7rDt3B26BsKnigcjmVYanPQDa7zb4awNfltj5zGidbBTm=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Garnish: raspberries and blueberries, some almond flakes.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the base mixing all the ingredients and place the mixture in a tart tin. Chill for half an hour. Prepare the cream whipping the double cream and folding in the Philadelphia cheese. Add the honey and vanilla drops. Spread the cheesecake cream on the biscuit base and decorate with the berries and almond flakes. Finally, warm a tbsp of honey with a tbsp of water and pour it on the cake. Chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The death of Monica Vitti at the beginning of February reminded me what a great actress she was. She was 90 when she died and had suffered from dementia in her later years. She was such a beautiful funny actress, a clever independent woman who worked with Michelangelo Antonioni, Alberto Sordi, Ettore Scola and many other famous actors and film directors. She often appeared on television in the 1970s and 1980s. she was so much fun and at the same time conveyed a sense of ordinariness. Her characters were never sophisticated but reflected the life of common people, women who struggle with their relationships and were often abandoned by their partners or rebelled against their diminished roles. She was a protagonist of the commedia all’italiana (comedy Italian style), a bittersweet kind of entertainment that is both funny and sad without a proper happy ending. Here are some links to Monica Vitti’s work I hope you find interesting:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkbn-wPi-Er28QgI2CcTpZ0BOFCdXOc4R-DE7Kahsd3YsERnmfQ_GqDf-bJwSMhSX9GcoIbuvj78wOO-OXq7YjmvQkVx705Y5hJMSGBbFmVp49P0iab5U7nQAacEv3hHTG1z9qPIxrN4pfLTupDE43qqomNIx5H6GrtgQEXx0G9l0Kvxo3TRMWkvw4=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkbn-wPi-Er28QgI2CcTpZ0BOFCdXOc4R-DE7Kahsd3YsERnmfQ_GqDf-bJwSMhSX9GcoIbuvj78wOO-OXq7YjmvQkVx705Y5hJMSGBbFmVp49P0iab5U7nQAacEv3hHTG1z9qPIxrN4pfLTupDE43qqomNIx5H6GrtgQEXx0G9l0Kvxo3TRMWkvw4=w200-h113" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/17519848/who-was-monica-vitti-cause-death/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/17519848/who-was-monica-vitti-cause-death/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/monica-vitti-obituary-r27ccdlf5"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/monica-vitti-obituary-r27ccdlf5</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/02/monica-vitti-obituary"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/02/monica-vitti-obituary</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB6jnG2PAJ8"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB6jnG2PAJ8</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rnL_dwOGKQ"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rnL_dwOGKQ</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLKwz9LI0Ao&t=2s"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLKwz9LI0Ao&t=2s</span></a></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv-PqYd5G4U">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv-PqYd5G4U</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/monica-vitti-60s-italian-movie-star-dead-90"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/monica-vitti-60s-italian-movie-star-dead-90</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And now Russia has finally invaded the Ukraine; let’s hope it ends soon and Putin comes to his senses. 😟</span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-43367265888351034472022-02-10T03:15:00.000-08:002022-02-10T03:15:14.640-08:00Roman style recipes<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here are some dishes I tasted in Italian restaurants last Christmas, others are from recipe magazines and are typical of the cuisine of Rome. They are based on simple ordinary ingredients and are very tasty.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqus1pHERnoBEt4ZFy2VKAtYR3EeZDxQfjJDarY09R-J6GmgjU9HzvXTYXaPT_CWec7k-kJV3ukzp_FtKSb9zRyk6ic_3ktdZjcq-Bl0fcK8sbuKN4IUbpvMWq-nPaBPUWgkuDGANMcMHomsw_A9pho82vZIxb57ScxZyFdgf4majVTvpeBJvBATZm=s225" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqus1pHERnoBEt4ZFy2VKAtYR3EeZDxQfjJDarY09R-J6GmgjU9HzvXTYXaPT_CWec7k-kJV3ukzp_FtKSb9zRyk6ic_3ktdZjcq-Bl0fcK8sbuKN4IUbpvMWq-nPaBPUWgkuDGANMcMHomsw_A9pho82vZIxb57ScxZyFdgf4majVTvpeBJvBATZm" width="225" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I love them all and when I came back to the UK in January, I prepared them at home for my family and for some friends who visited us. At the end of January, I had Covid. I felt very weak for a few days but luckily my temperature was normal and I had only a mild cold. My three vaccination doses certainly helped me though I experienced a terrible loss of taste. My mouth felt sour all the time and there was no food that could help me to improve the lack of appetite. So, I started to cook the best tasty food ever to improve my taste, especially cakes and biscuits. Chocolate and fruit were helpful too. Together with a loss of taste I experienced a lack of interest in food, probably due to my general feelings of weakness. I tried to rest a lot to improve my condition as soon as possible as I felt weird and slightly depressed. I can imagine how hard it must be for people who have severe symptoms. I hope my recipes will cheer you up in hard times as they did in my gloomy late January.<br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Potato peels</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrChAWzgFKoojXrV2kOhWWgPJTzE9HUmbZZf6n7xdoQRuIA8tUGTtFK8d96sfQGtrEh1wvnxoJVYHAcjRSPrqjQD09Vb9503Umf1BF9Eeeb3NSu1urhubd2FuUY-uv2nQK1KhmQpU4Q81ih3A5x-gcHL4OPv1Xch1t630bVkAV1BBS6qMBp1qMptGk=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrChAWzgFKoojXrV2kOhWWgPJTzE9HUmbZZf6n7xdoQRuIA8tUGTtFK8d96sfQGtrEh1wvnxoJVYHAcjRSPrqjQD09Vb9503Umf1BF9Eeeb3NSu1urhubd2FuUY-uv2nQK1KhmQpU4Q81ih3A5x-gcHL4OPv1Xch1t630bVkAV1BBS6qMBp1qMptGk=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Peel five or six big potatoes leaving thick layers on the skin. Fry the peels in hot boiling oil for a few minutes. Drain the peels and let them cool in a bowl lined with kitchen paper. Transfer the potato peels on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Add salt. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 180 C or till crispy. Before serving you can add pepper and grated pecorino.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicken with lemon<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need 4-6 chicken thighs, some lemon juice, salt, olive oil, rosemary.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN2zebaVGOtP9ICcSEt_nWUAIZ_wBttg2IPlsEP7C4zVZRCxnXiHXErv9_7e0jY6XH9wZrXNn8qjmi93YLi2YFUy6X21zOaOHL81IOWHMBs4A4-Rze_k9aRCy1oorSyvsXTqXFazyDQ45DZPV1zHCNtvna9s2JOi_4JOvZduVa5veP9J7HLeauSQSD=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN2zebaVGOtP9ICcSEt_nWUAIZ_wBttg2IPlsEP7C4zVZRCxnXiHXErv9_7e0jY6XH9wZrXNn8qjmi93YLi2YFUy6X21zOaOHL81IOWHMBs4A4-Rze_k9aRCy1oorSyvsXTqXFazyDQ45DZPV1zHCNtvna9s2JOi_4JOvZduVa5veP9J7HLeauSQSD=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cut part of the chicken skin and soak the tights in the juice of two lemons in a bowl. Cover the bowl with film and chill in the fridge for 4-5 hours. Place the thighs on an oven tray and add salt, olive oil and rosemary. Roast the chicken in the oven for 30-45 minutes at 180 C or till the skin is crispy and slightly brown.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Dry lasagne</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyFmx12Tf-SViscs1BMVnUQUWb2i7OUTaI0s0-dEO1mjEu4X76BpP_9qP_foSksMwA7pCReKpjZmk0rcmToRhQvO87NF9PStv-c9I-Pi-Bf2Flrt6vpAlSnGWFll4a5sjxWFiLn5oxqpbNvESlElLK84dzxTm3rU0naegECrL0RfoEkCGl8aj4iC2a=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyFmx12Tf-SViscs1BMVnUQUWb2i7OUTaI0s0-dEO1mjEu4X76BpP_9qP_foSksMwA7pCReKpjZmk0rcmToRhQvO87NF9PStv-c9I-Pi-Bf2Flrt6vpAlSnGWFll4a5sjxWFiLn5oxqpbNvESlElLK84dzxTm3rU0naegECrL0RfoEkCGl8aj4iC2a=w113-h200" width="113" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is a kind of lasagne my mother-in-law usually makes. She uses homemade pasta but you can find good lasagne sheets at the supermarket too. I usually cook the sheets in boiling water before preparing the layers. I start with some ragù tomato sauce and then build up the layers of pasta sheet adding ragù, bechamel (white sauce) and grated mozzarella. In my mother-in-law’s recipe she doesn’t use bechamel, instead she has some grated ham. The ragù is rather dry so the result is a kind of lasagne with a strong taste. She usually makes 4-5 layers alternating pasta sheets, then spreading ragù, mozzarella and ham, ending with a thick layer of ragù and mozzarella.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">How to make the ragù: grind one carrot, a stick of celery and one onion. Fry the mixture in a large saucepan with olive oil. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes then add some beef and pork mincemeat (about 500 g in all). Add salt and pepper and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Finally add some to the tomato passata (1000 ml or more), a tsp of sugar and more salt if necessary. Add also a pinch of ground cloves (optional). Let it simmer for 2-3 hours before using it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Fagioli con le cotiche (Roman style pork and borlotti beans)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioi8-blq6lxnCIlyydNWDZ827gutn9OM6vPYp5jD3bxt6xAWCqyJklFr7bJqqaLuBMCPRXQJPcZjpOSfI-UqWKh2yrbSk-KXjVntPVROMYj-NJnWyJYL23CXLv2RFDz6-EQESPyD-5zVsafPtaW5ezj9QlLq0cnsWePfXrvDrEXvemeZzrlUK8ehT1=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioi8-blq6lxnCIlyydNWDZ827gutn9OM6vPYp5jD3bxt6xAWCqyJklFr7bJqqaLuBMCPRXQJPcZjpOSfI-UqWKh2yrbSk-KXjVntPVROMYj-NJnWyJYL23CXLv2RFDz6-EQESPyD-5zVsafPtaW5ezj9QlLq0cnsWePfXrvDrEXvemeZzrlUK8ehT1=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cotica</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: a tin of borlotti beans (about 300-400 g), an onion finely sliced, salt, pepper, olive oil, 3-4 tbsp of tomato passata, 300 g of pork cotica (the hard skin of prosciutto you can find in Italian supermarkets for free or online).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW8CIlvvlm0aixV8lK37j4SIARAdO1P1zMzKE4LNVvY51T-79GkCVpFhA0iZydDkv6xyKSA5XC7QAK0sTjXFNplTYr9ZkP_mYREQXDm6ljwL_YF5CnbgoLAu6S1DrM52i3zMKBCssp3DOVyoOxpvIvAFyuMTcLl9txGedlawOKXAlZ5XiaiVgwtLH0=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW8CIlvvlm0aixV8lK37j4SIARAdO1P1zMzKE4LNVvY51T-79GkCVpFhA0iZydDkv6xyKSA5XC7QAK0sTjXFNplTYr9ZkP_mYREQXDm6ljwL_YF5CnbgoLAu6S1DrM52i3zMKBCssp3DOVyoOxpvIvAFyuMTcLl9txGedlawOKXAlZ5XiaiVgwtLH0=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Wash the cotica and boil it in water for about 30 minutes or till soft. Let it cool and cut it in thin stripes. Brown the onion in a saucepan with olive oil, add the tomato passata and some water, salt and pepper. Let it simmer for ten minutes then add the cotiche. Finally drain and add the borlotti beans and let it simmer for 15-30 minutes or till ready.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Pandoro tiramisu</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: some pandoro leftovers (about 250 g) thinly cut in slices, 2 tbsp of sugar, 2 eggs divided, some coffee or decaf coffee and liquor (optional), 250 g of mascarpone.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg90Gi92ysOTV_971ZZ5dJw_27xA4cTvjmyfgd8IpELI5c97qn4eaVcCWtkMUQFDX9bf_-eq3QsOa6QsCkL4YO10Ur5yMDYFO3CdqJYF2DlgvRzOD0DxW06cMqqjITR7ueAArSR-hFlZ2B9gugsyNnpuPM2nxZu29UjL6q5SYnSBmixvEM-VwwPvug0=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg90Gi92ysOTV_971ZZ5dJw_27xA4cTvjmyfgd8IpELI5c97qn4eaVcCWtkMUQFDX9bf_-eq3QsOa6QsCkL4YO10Ur5yMDYFO3CdqJYF2DlgvRzOD0DxW06cMqqjITR7ueAArSR-hFlZ2B9gugsyNnpuPM2nxZu29UjL6q5SYnSBmixvEM-VwwPvug0=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Beat the yolks of the eggs with the sugar and add mascarpone using an electric whisk. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold it into the mascarpone cream. Soak the pandoro slices in the coffee and line the bottom of a rectangular food container. Pour half of the cream on the pandoro and prepare another layer. End with the cream and finally dust with cocoa or sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Chill for 4-5 hours before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Panettone leftovers with ricotta</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: some panettone cut in thin slices (about 300 g), 500 g of ricotta, 200 g of sugar, 8 leaves of gelatine, 150 g of mixed peel, 3 tbsp of milk, icing sugar and chopped pistachio to decorate.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlHiAefC4vqfWF6tl5fHGVzunnJpMZZH_1wpwY71BKrnDa3_attlIFQrV9R5get7Z5LBFbZzJgNt_VD7pBF14FmpPGyqA-VoBPoUz8CUr5siP5T4uPkLnfEHDuya3Sq--rV25hknNdKu-YGus2g2z89eQPPKaZULRCNmnSPJLaP7eqKgt8A4GYvthg=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlHiAefC4vqfWF6tl5fHGVzunnJpMZZH_1wpwY71BKrnDa3_attlIFQrV9R5get7Z5LBFbZzJgNt_VD7pBF14FmpPGyqA-VoBPoUz8CUr5siP5T4uPkLnfEHDuya3Sq--rV25hknNdKu-YGus2g2z89eQPPKaZULRCNmnSPJLaP7eqKgt8A4GYvthg=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for ten minutes. Mix the ricotta with the sugar and the mixed peel. Squeeze the gelatine leaves and pour on it the boiling milk. Let it cool and then add it to the ricotta cream. Line a rectangular food container with film and place a layer of panettone slices on the bottom. Pour the ricotta mixture on the panettone and finish with a layer of panettone slices. Cover with film and chill in the fridge overnight. Finally unwrap the cake and turn it over on a plate. Dust with icing sugar and some chopped pistachio on top before serving.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Panettone leftovers with white chocolate</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: some panettone cut in pieces (about 250 g), 2 tbsp of sugar, 200 g of white chocolate, 200 ml of double cream or whipping cream, some red currant or other kind of berries to decorate.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWbScivj7_W7AStUtl6ct4L_HO58ATzSiOiizyRDl_tzDc47ZxvTponsGxV6ZkhpSAIuXw3VraXQwv7dVjFhMtKvi7ce5pzKPum-LZkcSKA4b44GsU3IOQZ72cXkS3l7WTWp1flrAZdnx3LVXVWdeqUTSnRgNAsc6BZjCJyZXcbtjcN8AHjN2vdrxb=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWbScivj7_W7AStUtl6ct4L_HO58ATzSiOiizyRDl_tzDc47ZxvTponsGxV6ZkhpSAIuXw3VraXQwv7dVjFhMtKvi7ce5pzKPum-LZkcSKA4b44GsU3IOQZ72cXkS3l7WTWp1flrAZdnx3LVXVWdeqUTSnRgNAsc6BZjCJyZXcbtjcN8AHjN2vdrxb=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Warm the cream in a saucepan and add the chocolate cut in pieces. Stir till the mixture is smooth and clear then let it cool. Place the panettone pieces in 4-6 bowls and pour the chocolate cream on top. Decorate with the berries and dust with icing sugar. Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours before serving.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Pears with red wine</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 2-3 Bosc pears, 300 ml of red wine, 200 ml of water, 200 g of demerara sugar, one cinnamon stick, 2 cloves.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiricRm883-fgfOuGO34EZiiFb5v6HAlwgQ3bomoNeMiUEz_1sF3jYWR8PxvgrkTVSi3pDBI_11SVo5b_u9v9-wk4sI1mzgrm4sIaQdk7ABVP4EM-LnYu5vSqHvF5S_v7k-IE0r7kCEfWO1kXE0I9U5O18GW4EYXP47Ociw_-Molp6Tw9BpQpObhQ2M=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiricRm883-fgfOuGO34EZiiFb5v6HAlwgQ3bomoNeMiUEz_1sF3jYWR8PxvgrkTVSi3pDBI_11SVo5b_u9v9-wk4sI1mzgrm4sIaQdk7ABVP4EM-LnYu5vSqHvF5S_v7k-IE0r7kCEfWO1kXE0I9U5O18GW4EYXP47Ociw_-Molp6Tw9BpQpObhQ2M=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cut the pears in halves. Peel and core them then place them in a saucepan and cook the pears in the water and wine adding all the other ingredients. When they are soft set them in a bowl and let the sauce simmer for ten more minutes. Serve the pears with the sauce and some cream. You can also have a white wine variant with star anise instead of cinnamon and cloves.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Marshmallow cookies</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 250 g of self-raising flour, 150 g of golden caster sugar, 50 g of soft brown sugar, 100 g of melted butter, 2 eggs, 50 g of chocolate chunks, 50 g of mini marshmallows, 1 tbsp of rose water.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpn9eoSuRFSYjrAy-NqNQkCEWF635ovLb-GbX-UDHQEdo6VdQT3DCnHaN2iMjj1yj9yRSDBqIwi79DdCOrthkbwsyCUSMKN423llS1q3f1ZDfMkgPcHXLwB5ckagCS9ig88Onmm2CrhMFg2kiUkeWSLuAWbSk8z5rhhEEhcj7avFmE003yqEmlhZHm=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpn9eoSuRFSYjrAy-NqNQkCEWF635ovLb-GbX-UDHQEdo6VdQT3DCnHaN2iMjj1yj9yRSDBqIwi79DdCOrthkbwsyCUSMKN423llS1q3f1ZDfMkgPcHXLwB5ckagCS9ig88Onmm2CrhMFg2kiUkeWSLuAWbSk8z5rhhEEhcj7avFmE003yqEmlhZHm=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Beat the eggs with the sugar and add the flour and the butter. Finally add the rest of the ingredients and let it chill in the fridge for one hour. Using a spoon add dollops of the mixture on a parchment paper or in muffin or cookie moulds and bake at 180 C for 15-20 minutes or till ready.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Italian style fruit cheesecake</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3zECTM2Xd8Vva-oV1KE_6up28K7SJq8awD9dAYbpnmTcK7KgiYleWPjmQ5KnxwY5Mf6T7wRJYPKlLNJ-me0jld5Z25kzopZhhLLP5csDFrveBJ18e6pAgokPRpryHpJEZjt6RvjpMMbDoINPV-gUbziGu7TWJqxC-xhqghs4BziTvKFqBvdiia49y=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3zECTM2Xd8Vva-oV1KE_6up28K7SJq8awD9dAYbpnmTcK7KgiYleWPjmQ5KnxwY5Mf6T7wRJYPKlLNJ-me0jld5Z25kzopZhhLLP5csDFrveBJ18e6pAgokPRpryHpJEZjt6RvjpMMbDoINPV-gUbziGu7TWJqxC-xhqghs4BziTvKFqBvdiia49y=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I think this cake can be called a tart, but its taste and some of the ingredients remind me of a cheesecake.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the base you need: 200 g of rich tea and digestive biscuits blended, and 70 g of melted butter.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the Chantilly cream you need: 300 g of whipping cream, 2tbsp of sugar, 250 g of mascarpone, 5 leaves of gelatine. Some fruit (e.g., kiwis, grapes, bananas, mandarins, pears).</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix the blended biscuits with the melted butter and line the base of a tart tin. Chill in the fridge for one hour. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for ten minutes then squeeze them and add some boiling water. In the meantime, prepare the Chantilly cream whipping the cream with the sugar and add the mascarpone. Pour the Chantilly cream on the base of the cake and decorate with the fruit. Finally pour the gelatine on top of the fruit and chill for 2-3 hours before serving.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Enjoy!😋😍</span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-58256813116784563442022-01-29T01:37:00.000-08:002022-01-29T01:37:03.018-08:00Visiting my Italian family again<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhj14svm7FrH-BJdHqoMbLBr4giV4yX-nRI6QG38sEZuRqUoOk-f6E8xIbjj2ffk4x7u_bYcgIMzFh00L2wjD9OEhIXFTXSclQw7Y8mzwGQaJHM1V0AEIjsVd3TIVI8VMB763Lj60O2wU8VIQ0pMUO_WSaoh22osd_DnpejlhO51v73bRk3Cut5iqNo=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhj14svm7FrH-BJdHqoMbLBr4giV4yX-nRI6QG38sEZuRqUoOk-f6E8xIbjj2ffk4x7u_bYcgIMzFh00L2wjD9OEhIXFTXSclQw7Y8mzwGQaJHM1V0AEIjsVd3TIVI8VMB763Lj60O2wU8VIQ0pMUO_WSaoh22osd_DnpejlhO51v73bRk3Cut5iqNo=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was exciting to see all my Italian family again at Christmas. My sons and my daughter travelled to Italy as well and we were all together in Rome for about two weeks. Seeing my mum after two years was almost moving. I found her fit considering she is 91, independent in her daily routines and still sharp in her comments. As soon as she saw me, she told me straight away that I was aging, and she added that she didn’t like my hair and a pair of yellow suede shoes that I wore most of the time as they are very comfortable. Apart from these funny remarks, she was very caring and sweet. We were together all the time, did our shopping, watched TV in the evening and did our crochet, visited neighbours and friends and I also helped her with some bureaucratic things she had to do. Coping with Italian bureaucracy is not easy, not only the council offices are far away and difficult to reach with public transport, but you also need to provide stamps to add to the documents and these stamps are not sold on site. You are supposed to know this though the information is not provided. When I lived in Italy, I was used to these procedures but now they seem so weird and annoying. We took a taxi to reach the local council office and to go back home and had interesting conversations with the taxi drivers. On the way to the office the taxi driver was pro-vax and told us the story of one of his nieces who tested positive for Covid and had to self-isolate. He blamed the anti-vaxxers who, according to him, spread the virus. On the way back the taxi driver had the opposite view. He didn’t wear a mask and when my mother started to blame the Italian bureaucracy, he seized the opportunity and ripped into the government. He had such a defiant and aggressive tone that at a certain point I said that my mum and I had triple vaccination and then he finally stopped talking.</span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCSqEJo1qzCMdJbRUdWmFlXiT2u8q6TDnp0BNUeFftFA-igUrKb-FuCDpKSxIz37FDmCpr65mUdgxWwryVsQ0fV1J4APF88J7_gHNklkuBj2_v2lIxowgpB5h92QA4OcX7wBGVPExxWJbSEOHAz88e_3D4AR_z03d17ocS7selCRJbcZUbNqhFZNmP=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCSqEJo1qzCMdJbRUdWmFlXiT2u8q6TDnp0BNUeFftFA-igUrKb-FuCDpKSxIz37FDmCpr65mUdgxWwryVsQ0fV1J4APF88J7_gHNklkuBj2_v2lIxowgpB5h92QA4OcX7wBGVPExxWJbSEOHAz88e_3D4AR_z03d17ocS7selCRJbcZUbNqhFZNmP=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We celebrated Christmas at my parents in law’s house with the best Italian food and good wine. On Boxing day, we went to a restaurant to celebrate my father in law’s 81<sup>st</sup> birthday as we could not celebrate his 80<sup>th</sup> last year because of the Covid restrictions. The restaurant had a traditional menu typical of the cuisine of Rome such as fagioli con le cotiche (Roman style pork and borlotti beans), porchetta (roast pork), home-made fettuccine with porcini mushrooms, pasta amatriciana and a fruit tart that reminded me of cheesecake. All the relatives were there sitting at separate tables and we all wore masks when we were not eating. My granddaughter Violetta received a lot of presents but she seemed more interested in the wrapping paper than in the toys and clothes. She was smiling and calm all the time though the whole event lasted about five hours. We took a lot of family photos which look a bit formal, but we really enjoyed the gathering after such a long lockdown.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigZU8q9AMrdGgrpNPFywMVvT4pkAdd7fCrdQzqSR9vGeRKtEpFPhahXVMGT3WuVlq-Y4YLmxOZsckFgs-_G2PtA1VBz0-NAL-LOVitcL6SStjvq1Mo-ka1yWtvw2QSKIidACq3PlDh5CKZyF0A7yej_Qns5zSFlLe1GTkIWAlmZstDQ05p1FG3u0Zf=s309" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="309" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigZU8q9AMrdGgrpNPFywMVvT4pkAdd7fCrdQzqSR9vGeRKtEpFPhahXVMGT3WuVlq-Y4YLmxOZsckFgs-_G2PtA1VBz0-NAL-LOVitcL6SStjvq1Mo-ka1yWtvw2QSKIidACq3PlDh5CKZyF0A7yej_Qns5zSFlLe1GTkIWAlmZstDQ05p1FG3u0Zf=w200-h137" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I was surprised and pleased that in Italy they were so well organised and consistent in the Covid regulations. This is mainly due to the stability of the Italian government led by Mario Draghi (Mario ‘the dragon’); he is managing to keep the coalition together and is guiding Italy towards recovery. I think the tragic effects of the pandemic in 2019 and 2020, especially in the north of Italy, was so frightening that Italian people don’t wish to fuss around in politics at the moment and the parties are prioritising economic and social renewal. Mario Draghi is considered a hero of sorts, and now that the president of the republic, Sergio Mattarella, has concluded his presidency, they suggested his name as a possible new president. The members of parliament are voting every day, but they haven’t reached an agreement yet. Even Silvio Berlusconi was proposed as president by the right-wing parties, who don’t seem to remember the bunga-bunga scandals and the allegations of corruption against him. The Italian president has not much power but is a symbolic figure who represents the country, similar to the Queen in the UK. What dreadful image of Italy would Berlusconi convey! Sergio Mattarella is 81 and said clearly that he is not willing to be elected for a second term, which would last seven more years. Maybe he feels tired and he is right, he did his bit brilliantly and the job is a big responsibility and commitment. What about a woman? The name of Marta Cartabia, the Minister of Justice, has been proposed as well.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj407xIinkzTSCp8SYMcc2SQBu1P7yhqfYj0msVQNDjdZFS4q5OGihCKxle7f7u2vlC-141IWfyCjdMGA-faSAYuy_1AmT6UtNjh3ytm9n97v1yHHCVqNLhn3wPNEj8itF55EC3yGmrMVz78frlRZ-5Pf6_4Gy2HAlSSQACHCaV-1Uzjz4xUeTmKfpE=s464" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="464" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj407xIinkzTSCp8SYMcc2SQBu1P7yhqfYj0msVQNDjdZFS4q5OGihCKxle7f7u2vlC-141IWfyCjdMGA-faSAYuy_1AmT6UtNjh3ytm9n97v1yHHCVqNLhn3wPNEj8itF55EC3yGmrMVz78frlRZ-5Pf6_4Gy2HAlSSQACHCaV-1Uzjz4xUeTmKfpE=w200-h114" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Compared to the UK, Italy seemed more under control and stable, which surprised me again as it is usually the contrary, Italy is a mess and the UK government is consistent and reliable. The partygate and other scandals linked to Boris Johnson and his team are putting a lot of strain in the Conservative government. The PM seems to have lost authority in his own party. But who can they put in his place? In an article on <i>The Times</i>, they were asking ‘Where is the Churchill for our time?’ but I don’t think there is an answer. Shall we have early general elections as it often happens in Italy in similar circumstances? I cannot see short term solutions.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My mum had a lot of Christmas lights inside and outside her home; she even kept the French window ajar to let the cable pass through it and plug it inside. I had a nightmare one night imagining a tall figure coming in from the balcony and wandering around the house with Christmas lights on its head, spooky! Adding to the ghost-like atmosphere, there was also a disturbing noise in the living room every 5-7 minutes. I inquired about it and my mum said that it was a fragrance shaker that puffed some scent out. In the evening we watched television till late following all the debates about Covid restrictions which were pretty much the same as in the UK. They updated about the Covid cases every day, wondered if the super green pass is a fair measure. The anti-vaxxers were identified as people from the far right and far left. I have some friends who have refused to be vaccinated but who do not belong to these categories. They are just afraid that the Covid vaccination might provoke irreparable side effects. We also watched old films such as <i>Flawless</i> and <i>The Age of Innocence</i> and a program on Alberto Sordi, a famous Italian actor who had roles in more than a hundred films.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdCljbEkxCwrANbdc5NyxAMu-pbBpRypubw6kkfKERp17RwntdK4yzpNHeyu5eTyOyIonDToHfGcvjME7eHwZlgAzuUJvMgElm9wWsEzWe4ZAU_lI1_l_x87MHV1XPN7xTnJ2QnKz0M1x4WZJYihRKRejwtyvPr5Hm1l-HB3tUGxI1l9B7bGecxF_N=s393" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="393" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdCljbEkxCwrANbdc5NyxAMu-pbBpRypubw6kkfKERp17RwntdK4yzpNHeyu5eTyOyIonDToHfGcvjME7eHwZlgAzuUJvMgElm9wWsEzWe4ZAU_lI1_l_x87MHV1XPN7xTnJ2QnKz0M1x4WZJYihRKRejwtyvPr5Hm1l-HB3tUGxI1l9B7bGecxF_N=w200-h132" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I followed Justine Welby’s speech, pope Francis’ speech, the queen’s and Mattarella’s speeches as well. I found that all of them reflected on our main concerns though from different points of view. They talked about the different bereavements, the sufferings of refugees and the struggles for a fairer society. Mattarella emphasised the capacity to recover not only from the economic crisis due to the pandemic but also from personal failures. They were all messages of hope that should help us in this time of recovery.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUS6YD10ds-AiGrzW0buYAlrc9bW1cwgDzhmMNqIC3vWtN1bpYh1KPeSkmhz4uKn3c4b9qATtHG53wSTP0jxUjYG96lWGuhp87_8XeW41Ny8x7eWD4W-hV5BXMRTpL2ljXaIihK6-rDXifWFeF-c4UMpZwbApS9X2kvFiBE5Vqcltu_rflaAzQlICf=s1189" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1189" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUS6YD10ds-AiGrzW0buYAlrc9bW1cwgDzhmMNqIC3vWtN1bpYh1KPeSkmhz4uKn3c4b9qATtHG53wSTP0jxUjYG96lWGuhp87_8XeW41Ny8x7eWD4W-hV5BXMRTpL2ljXaIihK6-rDXifWFeF-c4UMpZwbApS9X2kvFiBE5Vqcltu_rflaAzQlICf=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There were also interesting exhibitions in Rome but my mum gets tired easily now, so we decided to take it easy. However, we managed to visit Villa Torlonia in via Nomentana, not far from my mum’s place. The elegant buildings of the Villa host museums and exhibitions in the beautiful environment of the park. Here is my latest review of the park and its</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpLvcNcSG1350nS0yd7rq1YZ5HjcylJRmva2K3ewFJmp5B7x1USNTYx5XB3SMNw0RTGu7JBxQeKQ3gyzU12tUUKrBLMeGJiKD_kG3cfqO4KsDrUt_3PtZxLyZ0_k1zityUYUc2FzN0C_Nl3MyUMd2KJw29zgdLAb35ipspUD8mBw-FDpxzv8b_Fjuf=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpLvcNcSG1350nS0yd7rq1YZ5HjcylJRmva2K3ewFJmp5B7x1USNTYx5XB3SMNw0RTGu7JBxQeKQ3gyzU12tUUKrBLMeGJiKD_kG3cfqO4KsDrUt_3PtZxLyZ0_k1zityUYUc2FzN0C_Nl3MyUMd2KJw29zgdLAb35ipspUD8mBw-FDpxzv8b_Fjuf=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> venues:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/01/the-roman-school-of-painting-at-villa-torlonia-review-by-carla-scarano/">https://londongrip.co.uk/2022/01/the-roman-school-of-painting-at-villa-torlonia-review-by-carla-scarano/</a></span><span class="s2" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a gorgeous sunny day when we visited Villa Torlonia and we had a wonderful time despite the delays due to the Covid regulations. We spent more time queuing and distancing because of the Covid rules than visiting the different places. But this is our time. I feel lucky that I had the opportunity to visit my family and that they are all well. We had a great time together and I finally came back to the UK safe and in good health.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-43058720158117675212022-01-15T07:12:00.001-08:002022-01-15T07:12:34.735-08:00Between England and Italy<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOFR6vHE_Kbj2oDJvBiVZ10lUVHb93XHLoH5G7r03JPKmYK1gLjVMRzysn6iQ2PyX1Gm8vFK3iL-eDxGp3XjZPgIYe0rkBsFrDS_6ieBtAce2NNBSZKML2MvxZQ3jL3ya3FNEGwIEdDvijMkePndQvfNR2ssJD5X6fgI18ZZ3saDcb0KvRjmgGBLFc=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOFR6vHE_Kbj2oDJvBiVZ10lUVHb93XHLoH5G7r03JPKmYK1gLjVMRzysn6iQ2PyX1Gm8vFK3iL-eDxGp3XjZPgIYe0rkBsFrDS_6ieBtAce2NNBSZKML2MvxZQ3jL3ya3FNEGwIEdDvijMkePndQvfNR2ssJD5X6fgI18ZZ3saDcb0KvRjmgGBLFc=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes, it was a bit hectic both before and after Christmas. I had some deadlines for my writing and for my paintings that I wished to complete before going on holiday. I managed to write a few commissioned reviews of poetry collections and paint some watercolours of theBasingstoke canal for a charity auction to raise money to replace the Kitty. I also produced some Christmas cards and watercolours of roses I gave as a present to friends and family. On top of that, I applied for jobs as a teaching assistant in secondary schools in my area and had three interviews in two weeks just before the break. The whole thing was engaging and interesting but a big commitment too. Eventually I got a job, full time at The Park School in Woking, just 15 minutes’ drive from my home. I am very happy about the role. I worked as an academic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJWtzmZk2qimOZ5ecqOMJTLKprAU2OTz6Lruag5tmT071wiXKE7dLcMR93g74Br-NOVmV0io-L0NQx49PVWDJ1vE7ZxJaNTSDB9-T2Howvxe14lv9a3TcXZo_fxw98m5ksYuQx9c_62hLkcD18su_EcUs7Pe6TiZhjotIMLc0vdl-G3PrsWZCm4_JJ=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJWtzmZk2qimOZ5ecqOMJTLKprAU2OTz6Lruag5tmT071wiXKE7dLcMR93g74Br-NOVmV0io-L0NQx49PVWDJ1vE7ZxJaNTSDB9-T2Howvxe14lv9a3TcXZo_fxw98m5ksYuQx9c_62hLkcD18su_EcUs7Pe6TiZhjotIMLc0vdl-G3PrsWZCm4_JJ=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></div>mentor in universities during my PhD course and found the job rewarding. Supporting students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and seeing them achieve their targets is a great satisfaction. The experience is invaluable and enriching not only on a human level but also in terms of understanding different ways of looking at the world. I have just completed two weeks and am very happy about the ethos and theorganisation of the school. The students I am supporting are sweet, funny and vulnerable in their own way but also unique. I believe they have a great opportunity to learn and grow at The Park. The lessons are interesting and fun at the same time and they can follow a curriculum, learn life skills and socialise in a safe environment. My colleagues are helpful and welcoming, which is an extra bonus. I feel at ease and still have time to carry on with my reading, writing, crochet and my paintings as I do not have extra work to do at home, such as preparing lessons or marking papers.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCDlpI0rKawvggol8PL7i2esQiNbjYgdLbv-w3faKZNpaG_qH9JpMkXLs813etl0d8TqcIk8KAYwa_ZcwUDyagQSbsQfEtPVkMDp8yNkKcIz9ywgkbYEZCsJM9zeUbzp1aGbQ01bTKfnAFVqJfzZwfuu6OPXcJVRQHokPyohb4VDQ360UNDLVRuVSV=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCDlpI0rKawvggol8PL7i2esQiNbjYgdLbv-w3faKZNpaG_qH9JpMkXLs813etl0d8TqcIk8KAYwa_ZcwUDyagQSbsQfEtPVkMDp8yNkKcIz9ywgkbYEZCsJM9zeUbzp1aGbQ01bTKfnAFVqJfzZwfuu6OPXcJVRQHokPyohb4VDQ360UNDLVRuVSV=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></div></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Before leaving for Italy, I was very worried about the omicron variant and all the rules and restrictions that were added at the last minute. The situation was a bit confusing in England as the cases increased but the celebrations were not cancelled though they said we all needed to be careful about social gatherings. After two years of postponing our visit to Italy, we eventually decided not to cancel our trip this time and take the risk. My daughter did all the research for the Covid checks and sorted out the tests and the papers to print. We needed three doses to have the ‘super green pass’ that allowed us to take public transports, access restaurants, museums, cinemas, gyms, pools etc., plus a certified test to board the flight. The checks were very strict both at airport and in Italy. The bar code was regularly scanned and there was no way to enter a place without the third dose. Face masks were compulsory as well even in the open air, preferably the FPP2 type. On the airplane only the FPP2 type was accepted and on the flight we had to wear our coats or tuck them under the seats.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpjoKfdSolXlvXMbq-Kzr7B99InQwy34koSXEr7ly4MrH2bwgNZJc-8og9uupyNFQEFsGyeBP5ttOlganQdR3IRpxaR2glCLuKXRW1ewQV82EKLenproAdm27JBz7H4L3E8m5uFtNvJ8HZRn_3gXFtf0mnTpxrlOliR9OErMn9TqEcxfQ5WoJYz_Pk=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpjoKfdSolXlvXMbq-Kzr7B99InQwy34koSXEr7ly4MrH2bwgNZJc-8og9uupyNFQEFsGyeBP5ttOlganQdR3IRpxaR2glCLuKXRW1ewQV82EKLenproAdm27JBz7H4L3E8m5uFtNvJ8HZRn_3gXFtf0mnTpxrlOliR9OErMn9TqEcxfQ5WoJYz_Pk=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Now the rules are getting even stricter than when I was in Italy at Christmas. Vaccination is compulsory for over 50s or you get fined and you can’t go to work but have to stay at home unpaid if you don’t have at least two doses. These rules are now laws that will be fully implemented by the middle of February. Children are going to be vaccinated too. I heard about an Anglo-Italian family who travelled from Kent to Lombardy to have their child vaccinated against Covid. Other European countries had lockdown or partial lockdown such as Austria, The Netherlands and Germany. The mantra seems to be ‘get the jab’ or you will be cut out from work and social life. The news both in Italy and in the UK emphasised the fact that the antivaxxers often end up in hospital and put at risk the life of other people spreading the virus and delaying health procedures because of the burden on the intensive care system in particular. On TV I saw some no-vax rallies in Italy where people were quite aggressive and claimed not to trust the government. They believe it is all a lie and that behind the ‘Covid scam’ there are drug companies whose only purpose is to make money. Antivaxxers also believe that doctors inject a micro chip in your body with the vaccine to control your movements and thoughts. They think that behind the pandemic there is a conspiracy to make people injected with a vaccine that will eventually kill them to achieve a global depopulation. Some people are also afraid of the side effects, as they say that the reasons why a number of people who had problems or even died after the vaccination are not clear. A doctor from Padova, an immunologist who is pro-vaccine, received a threatening letter with a bullet inside that said to stop campaigning for children’s vaccinations or they would shoot her. Even getting tested was hard during Christmas time. There were long queues at hospitals and pharmacies and at a certain point they ran out of the molecular tests, only rapid tests were available.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Before leaving I followed Strictly Come Dancing and enjoyed it until the last minute.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPPj66gvPtDsfR7JxvQ27mttO_ozJdQmO12Ln850QL59TqseXfK_O-mKSxGjn2h2-3VtSbQTSS2oRyFG2z85WA2_X_HgxYo7-VfP8xoOiom3o_lQ_wKtyddjiLM9IgkjKmIE8GXsik8cTg_r4Oz3u_3Ifer6Iwf_uXvcfQBuP82UvGt3CKvPxRXtVv=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPPj66gvPtDsfR7JxvQ27mttO_ozJdQmO12Ln850QL59TqseXfK_O-mKSxGjn2h2-3VtSbQTSS2oRyFG2z85WA2_X_HgxYo7-VfP8xoOiom3o_lQ_wKtyddjiLM9IgkjKmIE8GXsik8cTg_r4Oz3u_3Ifer6Iwf_uXvcfQBuP82UvGt3CKvPxRXtVv=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> Though my favourite couple was Rose and Giovanni, who eventually won, I must confess this year it was hard to choose. The final seemed less competitive without AJ Odudu, though the last two couples were both fantastic. I think the prize should have been split this time just to be fair. I also had a bad experience in late November selling kimono, haori (short kimono) and obi (sashes) at a vintage auction. I brought them from Japan when I visited my daughter before the pandemic. I sold some of them on Facebook marketplace and then decided to try selling them at auction. They sold well but the percentage (commissions plus VAT) the auctioneers took at the end was so high that we received in our pockets less than half the price that the whole lot was sold for. I promised myself to never repeat this experience again.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTb2kds4FST5ZO6oqBlyCa2y5MAZrRKqgLCf9ztZRax-Ltlruz4BjzI_vz5QiVhA10EKPtrsbjjTtvrxYUzsYhGOCDVvzzlopCN4C-5YnSmvYE8t-KLqOKyRuUh2HEZGqMe0yjm7LtmPPmOmoC19XWJHPauZphSm5t5xVTXt2njc37OohbQoE1ac-O=s1600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTb2kds4FST5ZO6oqBlyCa2y5MAZrRKqgLCf9ztZRax-Ltlruz4BjzI_vz5QiVhA10EKPtrsbjjTtvrxYUzsYhGOCDVvzzlopCN4C-5YnSmvYE8t-KLqOKyRuUh2HEZGqMe0yjm7LtmPPmOmoC19XWJHPauZphSm5t5xVTXt2njc37OohbQoE1ac-O=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We visited my autistic daughter Valentina before leaving. We spent a whole day with her and had great fun helping her decorate her place. She loved the food I cooked for her and was overjoyed with the presents. Now her apartment is refurbished; the walls are lined in hard white plastic so she cannot scratch them. She also has a new floor and a new sofa. Videos and TV programs are projected on the wall through a camera from a computer, so she has no chance to hit and break the TV screen. When we came back we could not see her for two weeks as she got Covid, though she had no symptoms because she was vaccinated. Now her place is in lockdown to protect the staff. We skype with her every week and she seems happy. This pandemic seems never-ending, but what can we do against it? Take precautions and get jabbed seem the only alternatives we have. And hope it will weaken and be over soon.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-90016734706773876542021-12-18T00:55:00.005-08:002021-12-18T00:55:30.252-08:00Christmas shows and season recipes<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi30I9S1RT1NQsw6rRxHX8PZjRj7W3JcvYt0wxecs-FJZutEB-4DV6GC6S-psmbyTgDeOavILR-BhVSU2F4upBDwp6_4a3753_B8cywFLuwKg9MzUnTpTaATs9042DWsndiROtEEfg_El32FEeQYIf4mp6nWpWLqpiMAU-h9XbkSowOFaI7wBPYEQen=s698" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="698" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi30I9S1RT1NQsw6rRxHX8PZjRj7W3JcvYt0wxecs-FJZutEB-4DV6GC6S-psmbyTgDeOavILR-BhVSU2F4upBDwp6_4a3753_B8cywFLuwKg9MzUnTpTaATs9042DWsndiROtEEfg_El32FEeQYIf4mp6nWpWLqpiMAU-h9XbkSowOFaI7wBPYEQen=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, it’s Christmas! Uncertain Covid restrictions still linger but not so uncertain to cancel Christmas. I am flying to Italy soon despite the Omicron variant and possible partial lockdown. Everything is ready: the presents are wrapped and packed, the boarding passes are printed, the Christmas cards are on their way, lights are on and I am longing to see my Italian family again after two years. My sons and my daughter will come too so we will have a big family party.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaT-6DTo2A0b2f0NqtmkIbcu0oVwkpR49GvTD--E55fYbNOzVgYnVM0CGlDLKcESWVNT8MwKJNllwKcNAYFMHkEo0cd9uFbsePibeiy0ovC-QPNgZaodRf5GIht8T6D-S5jKAgcryLSL86cxxQBC9C0-GC1w59yBRlhJixpCfjscXgvsP3TY8BjrdP=s660" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="660" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaT-6DTo2A0b2f0NqtmkIbcu0oVwkpR49GvTD--E55fYbNOzVgYnVM0CGlDLKcESWVNT8MwKJNllwKcNAYFMHkEo0cd9uFbsePibeiy0ovC-QPNgZaodRf5GIht8T6D-S5jKAgcryLSL86cxxQBC9C0-GC1w59yBRlhJixpCfjscXgvsP3TY8BjrdP=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In the past two weeks I had enough time to go out two days to visit exhibitions and attend shows in London and in Woking. I couldn’t miss <i>Snow White</i>, the panto at the New Victoria Theatre, with Gok Wan, Harriet Thorpe and Aaron James.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was such fun though but there were no drag queens, and I missed their presence. I loved singing along and the 12 Days of Christmas bit was cracking. I also attended <i>Aladdin</i> by Ben Crocker presented by Send Amateur Dramatic Society at Lancaster Hall in Send. It was a performance for families packed with puns, jokes, songs and dances. I loved the warm and enchanting atmosphere and I felt part of it. I especially liked the psychic snake, a puppet that played jokes to the Baddies of the story. I also attended the amazing <i>The Wife of Willesden</i> adapted by Zadie Smith from Chaucer’s <i>The Wife of Bath</i> at the Kiln theatre in Kilburn, London, here is my review of it: <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/12/the-wife-of-willesden-review-by-carla-scarano/"><span class="s1" style="color: #0563c1;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/12/the-wife-of-willesden-review-by-carla-scarano/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1kbhUWMjgDeJ6LBCs_3Q1FXZrKz_T4BJ0hwWPCocg8MLpzjnLV7Lu3kLuJGl_R1RI3rr5XkfQGmWtgado9qAHiIUAAXRnyBKP6HS149CZivOXqNTr88EjJVRsAosePs9lQU3ZV7zWNRRC9zESgJNu-1D610O89akwzXF_lqM_s8yJirAf2iM-86uT=s245" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="245" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1kbhUWMjgDeJ6LBCs_3Q1FXZrKz_T4BJ0hwWPCocg8MLpzjnLV7Lu3kLuJGl_R1RI3rr5XkfQGmWtgado9qAHiIUAAXRnyBKP6HS149CZivOXqNTr88EjJVRsAosePs9lQU3ZV7zWNRRC9zESgJNu-1D610O89akwzXF_lqM_s8yJirAf2iM-86uT=w200-h168" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>A Christmas Carol</i> at the Old Vic was a mesmerising show. The story follows Dickens' plot but was adapted by Jack Thorne. Little variations emphasise how Scrooge after all has his own reasons and adjusted himself to the ruthless rules of the world of business, or he wouldn’t have succeeded. He is responsible for his behaviour of course, but he is not alone in the guilt of his actions. Eventually his conversion is sincere, and he shares his wealth with the poor in the form of food and giving money to charity. The stage was inundated by fake sausages, potatoes and oranges and artificial snow fell from the ceiling. Traditional Christmas carols, such as Joy to the World and Christ is Born in Bethlehem, end the show in a celebration of Christmas that supports the dispossessed and marginalised people. Sharing seems to be the solution to exploitation of the other, that is the quickest way to make big money. I do not believe in ghosts, and watching the play and revisiting the old story I was wondering if the ‘ghosts’ could be interpreted as Scrooge’s neighbours in disguise. Their intent is to scare him and show his shameful behaviour in order to eventually convince him to share his wealth with them. Justice is finally restored in this timeless story of redemption.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also managed to squeeze two visits at the Nova Cinema in Woking to watch the new Disney film <i>Encanto</i> and <i>The Nutcracker</i> screening live from the Royal Opera House. Tchaikovsky music is ravishing and unforgettable. The distant aristocratic setting of the first act and the unreal winter wonderland of the following part are made real and believable by the splendid music. It endlessly surprises, captures and makes the listener dream.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The dancers’ performances were outstanding in the new choreography by Peter Wright; their complex pirouettes and daring jumps looked effortless and tremendously graceful.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUX72FrHKVPqkZIorNLAkoY6XHZtB9EG509Zf2hKlge6dSVbftUx93TRpapeV_xZRpGz8IgbJqgCmZwH7aTGotiJhWeSRGzU-hBN_QbxPj1VfkHvYHl0Kwellngw40euIpguJjiL96mSSm_vOFz6Ms_NCPUcsHK93H2R70Wp9rTQw7JvcaAj6lpkwQ=s300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUX72FrHKVPqkZIorNLAkoY6XHZtB9EG509Zf2hKlge6dSVbftUx93TRpapeV_xZRpGz8IgbJqgCmZwH7aTGotiJhWeSRGzU-hBN_QbxPj1VfkHvYHl0Kwellngw40euIpguJjiL96mSSm_vOFz6Ms_NCPUcsHK93H2R70Wp9rTQw7JvcaAj6lpkwQ" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: large;">I enjoyed </span><i style="font-size: large;">Encanto</i><span style="font-size: large;"> as well, a story about immigration, family power and diversity. Imperfections are celebrated in their creative and original side. Ancestral magic mixes with rivalries and jealousies, affirming a wish to maintain traditions in a world that changes. The community spirit wins at the end, people help one another becoming aware that we cannot survive alone or isolated from others. Adaptation and compromise with diversity seems to be the central message, that is, to be yourself but adjust to different situations too. All these stories end well or happily in a Christmas spirit of reconciliation and mutual help. This makes me think about the people who are less lucky and whose life has no happy ending, as it often happens in our sometimes-grim reality.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6KSomcU4GS8AYcoK5BxU6qsFC1ROXfeFkTW4K-D2xTlxrzEjzA3vBb7Oa2LhS-jpudFV2kHpFJukH7Bz8ohNB2RZotA1n8jSlcfJ4RjDWP7v__9ZQ5b8DLPeXWsPI7vyI6OCho4ZBnJytdrF9z4fmwP0yMlRaAGh7yLX8yNFMTB8LtxWwwKGAHOMa=s263" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="192" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6KSomcU4GS8AYcoK5BxU6qsFC1ROXfeFkTW4K-D2xTlxrzEjzA3vBb7Oa2LhS-jpudFV2kHpFJukH7Bz8ohNB2RZotA1n8jSlcfJ4RjDWP7v__9ZQ5b8DLPeXWsPI7vyI6OCho4ZBnJytdrF9z4fmwP0yMlRaAGh7yLX8yNFMTB8LtxWwwKGAHOMa" width="192" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">As a Christmas treat, I bought the new book of recipes by Nadiya Hussain, <i>Nadiya’s fast Flavours</i>. Her recipes are inspiring, original and so well explained. Her chocolate salami is superb and the idea of recipes that are ‘fast in speed [and] in flavour’ is just great. She is happy to use tinned food and leftovers too. She cleverly divided the book in sections such as herby, spicy, cheesy, nutty, etc., where you can find whatever you need from meat to pasta and pudding according to the flavour you wish to taste.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also tried new cakes and biscuits inspired by recipes friends posted on Facebook and puddings I tasted in restaurants. The results were good and here they are.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Nadiya’s Chocolate salami</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 200 g of shortbread biscuits, 100 g of nuts, ½ tsp of ground ginger, grated zest of an orange or a lemon, a pinch of salt, 100 g of melted butter, 250 g of dark chocolate, 100 ml of milk, icing sugar for dusting, some chopped dried fruit.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnRx7tx0NXuwtl1k0yVGezVMSmsa_t61JKUrrh41YyVpkRbTB4e0sIMK5pP3jKuYZu1fvxLTQ1InSdXYXFsnh5HGHR29drpoRCwEEl890O1ma_NX6lBy74Bz_QF09N2gt8SSqOWVbPOZNtUFqgiUE7hXC9inItHaRKtMZs7r1-WqS7fba44sXNqeP9=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnRx7tx0NXuwtl1k0yVGezVMSmsa_t61JKUrrh41YyVpkRbTB4e0sIMK5pP3jKuYZu1fvxLTQ1InSdXYXFsnh5HGHR29drpoRCwEEl890O1ma_NX6lBy74Bz_QF09N2gt8SSqOWVbPOZNtUFqgiUE7hXC9inItHaRKtMZs7r1-WqS7fba44sXNqeP9=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can use short bread biscuits or another kind of biscuits, like ginger nuts biscuits or digestives. About nuts, I used walnuts and pistachios (Nadiya ha macadamia nuts), but you can use whatever you like. You can also add more spices and/or crystallized ginger. About dried fruit I used dried apricots. First chop the biscuits, the chocolate and nuts. Warm the chocolate in a pan adding the milk, ginger and salt, the zest of a lemon or orange and butter. Let it cool and add the biscuits and the dried fruit too. Take a large sheet of cling film, double it up and spread the mixture lengthways and roll it in sausage shape, then wrap it in a foil too. Close the ends and chill overnight. Before serving dust with icing sugar.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Prince William’s ‘groom’s cake’</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 200 g of Rich Tea biscuits, 100 g of melted butter, 100 g of caster sugar, 100 g of chopped dark chocolate, five tbsp of warm water. Some berries to decorate.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimYKP3hbgvlQhJBcOcsHizbHnIz0rTPCDSvyrzzlZsUDqC9Z9Bk8BOIgxitL9YYjOjy8gRg7nZVpBiZi38NaL-W9u9vogFyghf7NKe9VFQdjEBaT9joRUarwApOv-RhjpFyu446Ghffhak26PRS-JRxTAWGUm9FUA8Af2pyNWA1L-azvRHkShLCcbm=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimYKP3hbgvlQhJBcOcsHizbHnIz0rTPCDSvyrzzlZsUDqC9Z9Bk8BOIgxitL9YYjOjy8gRg7nZVpBiZi38NaL-W9u9vogFyghf7NKe9VFQdjEBaT9joRUarwApOv-RhjpFyu446Ghffhak26PRS-JRxTAWGUm9FUA8Af2pyNWA1L-azvRHkShLCcbm=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the chocolate ganache you need: 150 g of chopped dark chocolate, 150 g of whipping cream.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Line a springform cake tin with parchment paper. Chop the biscuits and mix the sugar with the butter. Melt the chocolate in the microwave and mix it with the butter and sugar mixture. Add the water to the biscuits and stir with a wooden spoon. Pour the biscuit and chocolate mixture in the cake tin, push it even and chill for one hour. Prepare the ganache warming the cream then pour it on the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted. Coat the cake with the chocolate and cream ganache and sprinkle some berries on top. Chill for half an hour before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are two chocolate recipes ideal for Christmas time:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chocolate raspberry and ricotta brownies</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 150 g of dark brown sugar, 100 g of dark chocolate, parchment paper, 100 ml of milk, two eggs, 50 g of cocoa powder, 60 g of ground almonds, a pinch of salt, 100 g of raspberries, 150 g of ricotta, 50 g of melted butter, 100 g of self-raising flour.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2sON75NrcEYGfZEpCNu07EAqGQPCPyjc_yIzcqxaoWqkc6mnqTfA_tTEj8lE3zoL4byk9IVpzVZilRXlq2Unkn0DYDdUXMxLqZHKT3lpYjjTWXqD4PNkREWEZKcyoFXnQfBJYRm-GgJExBiWEoruS4MYPc_USH1ASyl8QXwbP8Qf6KeCCulw61b__=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2sON75NrcEYGfZEpCNu07EAqGQPCPyjc_yIzcqxaoWqkc6mnqTfA_tTEj8lE3zoL4byk9IVpzVZilRXlq2Unkn0DYDdUXMxLqZHKT3lpYjjTWXqD4PNkREWEZKcyoFXnQfBJYRm-GgJExBiWEoruS4MYPc_USH1ASyl8QXwbP8Qf6KeCCulw61b__=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Warm the butter and the chocolate in a saucepan, add the milk and let it cool. Whisk in the eggs and then add the rest of the ingredients except the ricotta and keep a few raspberries apart. Pour the chocolate mixture into a baking rectangular tin lined with parchment paper. Finally beat the ricotta with some milk and fold it into the mixture. Scatter the remaining raspberries on top. Bake at 180 C for 30 minutes or until the biscuits look settled. Let it cool and cut into squares before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Chocolate and caramel cake</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the cake you need: 200 g of self-rising flour, 50 g of cocoa powder, 1 tsp of baking powder, ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda, two eggs, 100 g of melted butter, 150 g of dark brown sugar, 50 g of dark chocolate chips, some milk and liquor.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEid5F_nGHRKaEkmXRMM_96RIWGQvLLH26gYccMHrbvmT9jExo6cKNpHP7_qTFYgZrDdjd_JCZkOwSAL3eDSOSlt1Orcn3BCBTG73thhhqGs4o8wq8hbpyuJDMTXKoNbC1ip5ZhswmqorYVA7LvXZJ3iiuWGdxjEmlzZD39nt-2zkImekis46HR8PKe_=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEid5F_nGHRKaEkmXRMM_96RIWGQvLLH26gYccMHrbvmT9jExo6cKNpHP7_qTFYgZrDdjd_JCZkOwSAL3eDSOSlt1Orcn3BCBTG73thhhqGs4o8wq8hbpyuJDMTXKoNbC1ip5ZhswmqorYVA7LvXZJ3iiuWGdxjEmlzZD39nt-2zkImekis46HR8PKe_=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the caramel you need: one tbsp of glucose, 50 g of double cream, 50 g of dark chocolate.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Beat the eggs and the sugar, add the melted butter and the flour. Mix the baking powder and the bicarbonate of soda in half a glass of milk and pour it in the cake mixture. Finally add the chocolate chips and the liquor. Bake at 180 C for 30-45 minutes and let it cool. Prepare the caramel warming the ingredients in a saucepan and let it cool. Chill for half an hour and then spread the chocolate mixture on the cake. Decorate with sprinkles and chill before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Venetian zabaglione cake</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 200 g of self-rising flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda, two eggs, 100 g of melted butter, 100 g of golden caster sugar, some drops of vanilla extracts.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwmo14WiTYKcsVKbwMtTbwZqVLwdDr1B5FVJ7ZbRQzuLawXKxCkRwSUFocCNarjn9vxeN-D8aI1UKiXU09Yy1JyJZevlpOZNf9TS3YemXCSi5S63BeQG57Bzc7khF6e9VcriG4pI26LqOfBnjhCKMOe3477uqRD8L4BaCjAk5Ich65rY6iAotsN91o=s3000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwmo14WiTYKcsVKbwMtTbwZqVLwdDr1B5FVJ7ZbRQzuLawXKxCkRwSUFocCNarjn9vxeN-D8aI1UKiXU09Yy1JyJZevlpOZNf9TS3YemXCSi5S63BeQG57Bzc7khF6e9VcriG4pI26LqOfBnjhCKMOe3477uqRD8L4BaCjAk5Ich65rY6iAotsN91o=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the zabaglione filling you need: three egg yolks, 100 g of sugar, one tbsp of flour, 150 ml of marsala, 300 g of double cream.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the zabaglione beating the egg yolks with an electric whisk then add the sugar and whisk again for a few minutes. Add the flour and keep whisking. Finally add marsala and warm the mixture in a saucepan till it thickens. Let it cool and prepare the cake by beating the eggs and the sugar. Add the butter and the flour together with the rest of the ingredients. If the mixture is too thick add some milk. Bake at 180 C for 30-45 minutes in a greased cake tin then let it cool. Whisk the cream and fold in the zabaglione mixture. Cut the cake in two halves and wet them with milk and water. Spread part of the zabaglione and cream mixture over one half of the cake and place the other half on top. Coat the cake with the rest of the cream and decorate with sprinkles.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Christmas Cookies</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I found beautiful biscuit cutters in a Danish shop in Woking and used the traditional gingerbread recipe for the biscuits:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 250 g of self-rising flour, one egg, a pinch of salt, three tsp of ground ginger, 50 g of melted butter, 100 g of sugar, four tbsp of milk.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHAZ52mT8fFDEwO7Q2LNjksP1lPsQFzbOWEOALSkT6Mco3suN4mY1vXi5uK2lP8Feackc38MYKnznka1O2IzDym66AHgu585y68sX53_CUjBx0KdyllDy06Qi7Vr8vMSic3pZ-BNngMoxL4VCxBw5M_qq0FL3ohARzdBpajv3bIw81NIuQ-LjlADIp=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHAZ52mT8fFDEwO7Q2LNjksP1lPsQFzbOWEOALSkT6Mco3suN4mY1vXi5uK2lP8Feackc38MYKnznka1O2IzDym66AHgu585y68sX53_CUjBx0KdyllDy06Qi7Vr8vMSic3pZ-BNngMoxL4VCxBw5M_qq0FL3ohARzdBpajv3bIw81NIuQ-LjlADIp=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix the eggs and the sugar, add the butter and the rest of the ingredients. Roll out the dough and cut it with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased oven tray and bake at 180 C for 10-15 minutes or till ready.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Pepernoten</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is a traditional Dutch recipe for Christmas time a friend of mine posted on Facebook:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 250 g of self-rising flour, 150 g of soft brown sugar, two eggs, 100 g of melted butter, 50 ml of milk, 2 tsp of spice mix (ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, some white pepper, ground ginger).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRUciiPa8FrgIzzfuzqFNsfRwWtr0f27WDSACeGkIJJoMJwygQQ0QruvWaVnEKfP5IZlh_g-wcnhej_2qtd7cRbGZ2UJtA2921l3JrJS7r9Lgs832Szz7LTs6vi5kBLpq7889dEzGD8ZX7NYMoQnv82zcA-dBOTafUhJ_pPEIEzjJalFk6yFAygtvx=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRUciiPa8FrgIzzfuzqFNsfRwWtr0f27WDSACeGkIJJoMJwygQQ0QruvWaVnEKfP5IZlh_g-wcnhej_2qtd7cRbGZ2UJtA2921l3JrJS7r9Lgs832Szz7LTs6vi5kBLpq7889dEzGD8ZX7NYMoQnv82zcA-dBOTafUhJ_pPEIEzjJalFk6yFAygtvx=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mix the eggs with the sugar and flour. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead the dough. Add some more flour if necessary, to make the dough smooth. Grease an oven tray and roll small balls with the dough. Set them on the tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or till ready at 180 C.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We tasted these final two desserts in an Italian restaurant, and I tried to put the recipes together:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Nutellamisú (tiramisú with Nutella)</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the sponge you need: 250 g of self-rising flour, 150 g of sugar, one tsp of baking powder, four eggs, 30 g of melted butter, some drops of vanilla essence.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For the nutellamisú cream you need: 250 g of mascarpone, two eggs divided, two tbsp of sugar, three tbsp of Nutella.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdKNHejJzGumqTBs0VU6vsZLh2HblcyO0XgWUrmkHhoUk_5XyHj11_buDtel6-JY4C71x58DvcVwPw7BxgQiyuGKC69baUIPMFMEwK06XdSOEyIDcXGsL7DBrPp29i-wRVfB4gkj93wjrvPotRncpVY9k24P9BCnrTs2JmzDmU_ruJZJ54aj0vlqlg=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdKNHejJzGumqTBs0VU6vsZLh2HblcyO0XgWUrmkHhoUk_5XyHj11_buDtel6-JY4C71x58DvcVwPw7BxgQiyuGKC69baUIPMFMEwK06XdSOEyIDcXGsL7DBrPp29i-wRVfB4gkj93wjrvPotRncpVY9k24P9BCnrTs2JmzDmU_ruJZJ54aj0vlqlg=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Some crumbled chocolate biscuits for the top.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prepare the sponge whisking the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes. Fold in the rest of the ingredients and bake in a greased cake tin at 180 C for 30-45 minutes then let it cool. Prepare the nutellamisú cream whisking the yolk of the eggs with the sugar. Add the mascarpone and Nutella. Whisk the whites until stiff and add them to the Nutella and mascarpone cream too. Prepare some coffee or decaf coffee and mix it with some water. Cut the sponge in vertical slices and place a layer in a rectangular glass or plastic food container. Wet it with the coffee and spread the cream on it. Crush the chocolate biscuits and sprinkle them on top. Chill overnight before serving.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Cheesecake with ricotta and pistachio</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need: 200 g of digestive biscuits, 100 g of melted butter, 250 g of ricotta, 2tbsp of pistachio spread, 100 g of sugar, 600 ml of whipping cream, 150 g of ground pistachio.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3k4Gw_HXsQbcCzcSyTj9ZU0NR19epmVM_yJjyacyzOp9HJvZiW0pftQN5inYMJBxL9BGlh1oTa8HK2GSzvlZrTGmP_1uyDE8lRmedXVW7ZGRIfzlX7HgGu3GaSZTL8Cz1UKyoy5niTKT5YkzPp6biq2zXsqWaPz6WqG7oz3Au1OiSnko1VjNQHWqq=s4000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3k4Gw_HXsQbcCzcSyTj9ZU0NR19epmVM_yJjyacyzOp9HJvZiW0pftQN5inYMJBxL9BGlh1oTa8HK2GSzvlZrTGmP_1uyDE8lRmedXVW7ZGRIfzlX7HgGu3GaSZTL8Cz1UKyoy5niTKT5YkzPp6biq2zXsqWaPz6WqG7oz3Au1OiSnko1VjNQHWqq=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This cake is composed of two layers. First prepare the base by crushing 100 g of digestives and mix it with the butter. Spread the mixture on the base of a springform cake tin and chill it. In the meantime, whip the cream with the sugar, add the pistachio spread, 100 g of the ground pistachio and ricotta. Spread half of the cream, ricotta and pistachio mixture on the base of the cake and sprinkle 100 g of ground digestive on the cream layer. Spread the rest of the cream mixture on the cake and finally sprinkle the rest of the ground pistachios on top. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">Have a lovely Christmas time 😍🎄🎅🤞</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5389908473249644998.post-17620240681373709012021-12-05T02:15:00.002-08:002021-12-05T02:21:42.246-08:00Festivals, poetry workshops and reviews<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0OvHOWD_dZ11DSF6UYF1oN5x_vLe6gWWM9Xx83-N5tBKq4ItdyVc_i0G5JCYaUKghIX2E4w7uoPkWqXgrmsIQAbhX6B91STZfjx24A8tPg_GhJjt2QNHyzwgWvKV22jIKfAw0CDdEfs/s1560/257817882_993786298019739_4397778038725818467_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0OvHOWD_dZ11DSF6UYF1oN5x_vLe6gWWM9Xx83-N5tBKq4ItdyVc_i0G5JCYaUKghIX2E4w7uoPkWqXgrmsIQAbhX6B91STZfjx24A8tPg_GhJjt2QNHyzwgWvKV22jIKfAw0CDdEfs/s320/257817882_993786298019739_4397778038725818467_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the past weeks I attended many interesting poetry workshops, art demonstrations and art exhibitions that inspired me and gave me new ideas and tips about the creation of my artwork and my writing too. I read extensively especially online articles and essays, and poetry of course. I reviewed some new collections for online magazines and perused several publications that feature new poetry such as Dreich, Neon, the Pennine Platform and 14 Vanguards Editions. I also attended online readings with the Poetry Society, Two Rivers Press, Forest Poets and Cinnamon Press and read my poems at Write Out Loud open mic at the Lightbox in Woking. Editors and poets seem to appreciate my reviews and I usually have good feedback. Here are some links to my reviewing work:<br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sarah Hymas, <i>The Hispering</i> <a href="https://thefridaypoem.com/three-pamphlets-s-d-curtis-sarah-hymas-and-geraldine-clarkson/%22%20%5Cl%20%22the-hispering-by-Sarah-Hymas"><span class="s2">https://thefridaypoem.com/three-pamphlets-s-d-curtis-sarah-hymas-and-geraldine-clarkson/#the-hispering-by-Sarah-Hymas</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jean Atkin, <i>Fan-Peckled</i> <a href="https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/carla-scarano-dantonio-reviews-fan-peckled-by-jean-atkin-katy-alston/"><span class="s2">https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/carla-scarano-dantonio-reviews-fan-peckled-by-jean-atkin-katy-alston/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lt-lxDOoJB4zf3fgYVCftFJ5ITZc6XAyhprrj1GGZQFaSkb1F_ZgDXOj9geXntrUoX13hOrRRIVcAdz6Lb6ZIz5Il921mSbCiBwS31344DAVJNuR8cKB-VCvAXh9_Py4ZkACBpa-6Pg/s1000/IMG_20211204_090400.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lt-lxDOoJB4zf3fgYVCftFJ5ITZc6XAyhprrj1GGZQFaSkb1F_ZgDXOj9geXntrUoX13hOrRRIVcAdz6Lb6ZIz5Il921mSbCiBwS31344DAVJNuR8cKB-VCvAXh9_Py4ZkACBpa-6Pg/w200-h150/IMG_20211204_090400.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Louisa Adjoa Parker, <i>How to Wear a Skin<br /></i> <a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=116053"><span class="s2">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=116053</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cliff Fyman, <i>Taxi Night</i> <a href="https://www.thetemzreview.com/carla-scarano.html"><span class="s2">https://www.thetemzreview.com/carla-scarano.html</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pamela Medland, <i>Echo of Ash</i> <a href="https://freefallmagazine.ca/review-of-pamela-medlands-echo-of-ash/"><span class="s2">https://freefallmagazine.ca/review-of-pamela-medlands-echo-of-ash/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5-dPgeiYt4OJ7bP2uOXHaR9uGpIbBafhbclN0up4XC7aWn9mnRA3kuA8xqYr5DvM6NMOj8_-DR2cSomIw9vHKcMwtgDp_W3gCHow-PU8OnD1J4WDUS2SobBoA92PW4Qc3qaPus9lQ34/s1000/IMG_20211204_091152.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5-dPgeiYt4OJ7bP2uOXHaR9uGpIbBafhbclN0up4XC7aWn9mnRA3kuA8xqYr5DvM6NMOj8_-DR2cSomIw9vHKcMwtgDp_W3gCHow-PU8OnD1J4WDUS2SobBoA92PW4Qc3qaPus9lQ34/w200-h150/IMG_20211204_091152.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Robert Garnham, <i>Yay!</i> <a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=116602"><span class="s2">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=116602</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ian Seed, <i>The Underground Cabaret</i> <a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/07/21/the-underground-cabaret-by-ian-seed-shearsman-books/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-7104"><span class="s2">https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/07/21/the-underground-cabaret-by-ian-seed-shearsman-books/#like-7104</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Bloody Amazing</i> <a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=118763"><span class="s2">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=118763</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kate Fox, <i>The Oscillations</i> <a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=117885"><span class="s2">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=117885</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kim Malinowski, <i>Home </i><a href="https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2019-2021/"><span class="s2">https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2019-2021/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Richard Skinner, <i>Invisible Sun</i> <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/07/london-grip-poetry-review-richard-skinner/"><span class="s2">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/07/london-grip-poetry-review-richard-skinner/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdPDVMfC_hNipzgROeWBG6d_1ueV7DNsFMNS-4rBnsiwpPr44n14D_0Szuv9HvbiNaby7bY-QW9jdsO3oqZs_UJ-fy1etQ8-SBDcX66-KZ4MpweOdaUWimYOyc0EMdv0l4XscDQDuTF0/s1000/IMG_20211204_094218.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdPDVMfC_hNipzgROeWBG6d_1ueV7DNsFMNS-4rBnsiwpPr44n14D_0Szuv9HvbiNaby7bY-QW9jdsO3oqZs_UJ-fy1etQ8-SBDcX66-KZ4MpweOdaUWimYOyc0EMdv0l4XscDQDuTF0/w200-h150/IMG_20211204_094218.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ian Seed, <i>Operations of Water</i> <a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/08/25/operations-of-water-by-ian-seed-knives-forks-spoons-press/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-7254"><span class="s2">https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/08/25/operations-of-water-by-ian-seed-knives-forks-spoons-press/#like-7254</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Greg Freeman, <i>Maples Must Go</i> <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/london-grip-poetry-review-greg-freeman/"><span class="s2">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/london-grip-poetry-review-greg-freeman/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Joshua Calladine-Jones, <i>Constructions [konstrukce]</i> <a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=117746"><span class="s2">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=117746</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stuart Henson & Bill Sanderson, <i>Twelve Days</i> <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/10/twelve-days/"><span class="s3" style="color: #0563c1;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/10/twelve-days/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Liv Johannesson, <i>Snow like Skin around my Soul</i> <a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=118604"><span class="s2">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=118604</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pbh4QlyPa-HevVkuP5XNV38AvmS1c8xNQtTdHz88baIDd2PSMFSAKS_tvwco2s4dbj3hlO_-5myfylIK9re3s2rwhN0Bcu3XrqPN4Ah4JdLQDli4ShCamBTs5sf8lLqLSoRgf73SFAQ/s1000/IMG_20211204_094153.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pbh4QlyPa-HevVkuP5XNV38AvmS1c8xNQtTdHz88baIDd2PSMFSAKS_tvwco2s4dbj3hlO_-5myfylIK9re3s2rwhN0Bcu3XrqPN4Ah4JdLQDli4ShCamBTs5sf8lLqLSoRgf73SFAQ/w200-h150/IMG_20211204_094153.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kim Moore, <i>All the Men I never Married</i> <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/11/london-grip-poetry-review-kim-moore/"><span class="s2">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/11/london-grip-poetry-review-kim-moore/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fiona Benson, <i>Bioluminescent Baby</i> <a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/11/24/bioluminescent-baby-by-fiona-benson-guillemot-press/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-7474"><span class="s2">https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/11/24/bioluminescent-baby-by-fiona-benson-guillemot-press/#like-7474</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Penny Sharman, <i>The Day before Joy</i> <a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/2021/09/18/reviews-for-autumn-2021/%22%20%5Cl%20%22Penny%20Sharman"><span class="s2">https://thehighwindowpress.com/2021/09/18/reviews-for-autumn-2021/#Penny%20Sharman</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jeanne Powell, <i>Deeply Notched</i> <a href="https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2019-2021/"><span class="s2">https://www.pulsarpoetry.com/legal-notice/book-reviews-2016-to-2018/book-reviews-2019-2021/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQr_LHeDVRLt_LpZLf6_RL5LsUrZVFqrJc1klGTlv2f60_Ot69bUQIuP6SBkuvKuZEm1LS7MI5Es5yAb4lcTaOn3wwAgJKsXHMyRcDwMgR28HNYF3EC0Widb-9M7TUyA5DMxY5_27aJQ/s1092/dwelling+during+the+pandemic.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="1092" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQr_LHeDVRLt_LpZLf6_RL5LsUrZVFqrJc1klGTlv2f60_Ot69bUQIuP6SBkuvKuZEm1LS7MI5Es5yAb4lcTaOn3wwAgJKsXHMyRcDwMgR28HNYF3EC0Widb-9M7TUyA5DMxY5_27aJQ/s320/dwelling+during+the+pandemic.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My poem ‘You can begin your journey anew was published in Dwelling During the Pandemic Ohio Project:</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://u.osu.edu/thompson.3022/2021/11/02/carla-scarano-dantonios-poem-you-can-begin-the-journey-of-life-anew/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://u.osu.edu/thompson.3022/2021/11/02/carla-scarano-dantonios-poem-you-can-begin-the-journey-of-life-anew/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and ‘I have something to say about Crochet’ was published by Spilling Cocoa:</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.spillingcocoa.com/i-have-something-to-say-about-crochet-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.spillingcocoa.com/i-have-something-to-say-about-crochet-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/</span></a></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnfTAr0sFKbpZ0yI_mbKy_jQcxyqQGy38C6xd_rApHMmAot1nuNH7oq6_Mj77Mj1ZxHB895a9abo1bGsYcuIvcVD5gQlzHZyI7gWysKi9Ewdn_MOsjvhI7m8j-d1Z10ntJEf6LGRPRck/s1000/Crochet+work.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnfTAr0sFKbpZ0yI_mbKy_jQcxyqQGy38C6xd_rApHMmAot1nuNH7oq6_Mj77Mj1ZxHB895a9abo1bGsYcuIvcVD5gQlzHZyI7gWysKi9Ewdn_MOsjvhI7m8j-d1Z10ntJEf6LGRPRck/w200-h150/Crochet+work.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.spillingcocoa.com/i-have-something-to-say-about-crochet-by-carla-scarano-dantonio/"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></a></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My poem ‘Words are good’ will be published in Acumen 102 in January 2022, and ‘Aubade’, ‘Consider the ear’, ‘The hare’, ‘Ways of looking at walls’ and ‘The peak’ will be out on Dreich in April 2022.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A couple of flash fiction pieces were successful too. ‘Fox Hunting’ was long listed in Cranked Anvil flash fiction competition and ‘Empty plate’ has just been published by Ink, Sweat & Tears: <a href="%22"><span class="s3" style="color: #0563c1;">https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/carla-scarano-dantonio-2/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My essay on Ian Seed’s work will be published in Tears in the Fence, summer issue. He is such an interesting writer and poet who published extensively in the past two decades after a period of silence. Most of Seed’s poetry has been published by Shearsman from the first full collection, <i>Anonymous Intruder (2009), </i>then<i> Shifting Registers (2011) </i>and the quartet of prose poem collections, <i>Makers of Empty Dreams</i> (2014), <i>Identity Papers</i> (2016), <i>New York Hotel</i> (2018) and <i>The Underground Cabaret</i> (2020). Some of his work, <i>Sleeping with the Ice Cream Vendor</i> (1012) and <i>Operations of Water</i> (2020), has been published by Knives Forks and Spoons Press, and finally Red Ceilings Press published three intriguing pamphlets, the latest of which is <i>I Remember</i> (2021). Seed is also a translator from Italian, French and Polish. His most recent translation is <i>Bitter Grass</i> (Erbamara, 2020), by Gëzim Hajdari, an Albanian author who writes both in Albanian and in Italian. He also translated <i>The Thief of Talant</i> by Pierre Reverdy (2016) and <i>The Straw which Comes Apart</i> by Ivano Fermini (2010). He is working on a commissioned translation of Max Jacob’s book of prose poems, <i>The Dice Cup</i> (1917), which will be published by Wakefield Press. He has strong connections with Italian culture and literature, which is one of the reasons why I feel so attracted by his work. Here are the links to some of his poems:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBzjvDjLe_Qp8xlkapQXP93HappsLQvzBTKkoI2pNVF7bnjoGWLQAjb3sWAEW0LdQeypwOx-h3IsKUBI78su5qTFhNqRe2LBq4frnXjZ94XZ0uFHKvuarv0ZtuE4Sj8TNtlxDajV9TqQ/s1000/Ian+Seed.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBzjvDjLe_Qp8xlkapQXP93HappsLQvzBTKkoI2pNVF7bnjoGWLQAjb3sWAEW0LdQeypwOx-h3IsKUBI78su5qTFhNqRe2LBq4frnXjZ94XZ0uFHKvuarv0ZtuE4Sj8TNtlxDajV9TqQ/w200-h150/Ian+Seed.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.anthropocenepoetry.org/post/3-poems-by-ian-seed"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.anthropocenepoetry.org/post/3-poems-by-ian-seed</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://granta.com/four-poems-seed/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://granta.com/four-poems-seed/</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="http://www.manifold.group.shef.ac.uk/issue16/IanSeedBM16.html"><span style="font-size: medium;">http://www.manifold.group.shef.ac.uk/issue16/IanSeedBM16.html</span></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2018/10/discovery-rediscovery/">https://fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2018/10/discovery-rediscovery/</a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My article on my grandmothers was published in London Grip together with old family photos: <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/10/meeting-my-grandmothers-examples-for-life-carla-scarano-dantonio/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=213&wppa-photo=4041"><span class="s2">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/10/meeting-my-grandmothers-examples-for-life-carla-scarano-dantonio/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=213&wppa-photo=4041</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiDKtpxqvzEjKtRisDN3f6hkw5QAGqZA016OMu5zYG1WLPdoGH5YRgl-Ni_kJuP3hEdgdWaELpmKOcx9_taEsCVR1evQjG-i0Ul5SZfpiQEtBex4Porjshms5NUOLUtjHN1aJre4yxO0/s853/Carla+foto10003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="853" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiDKtpxqvzEjKtRisDN3f6hkw5QAGqZA016OMu5zYG1WLPdoGH5YRgl-Ni_kJuP3hEdgdWaELpmKOcx9_taEsCVR1evQjG-i0Ul5SZfpiQEtBex4Porjshms5NUOLUtjHN1aJre4yxO0/s320/Carla+foto10003.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I follow my fellow poets on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram whose blogs and posts have interesting and original opinions. Here are some examples:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Greg Freeman: <a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/gregfreeman"><span class="s2">https://www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/gregfreeman</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4d2n_TjOSjktSkzc6b2RicCH8w7bNRl9DRSb4-O9PKyUj8upyFHLQqRpi23x_Ui0V3Jzvz-i7mnsvOlIiJlm8jaq0fv89jtAOq-87BZRDgRSXmVkGHFyIyzw4JEP7tsxhHKm0qEoI8Uo/s1440/263354747_10160422878821874_6154159713133927718_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4d2n_TjOSjktSkzc6b2RicCH8w7bNRl9DRSb4-O9PKyUj8upyFHLQqRpi23x_Ui0V3Jzvz-i7mnsvOlIiJlm8jaq0fv89jtAOq-87BZRDgRSXmVkGHFyIyzw4JEP7tsxhHKm0qEoI8Uo/s320/263354747_10160422878821874_6154159713133927718_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rodney Wood:</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://rodneywoodpoet.wordpress.com/about-me/" style="font-size: large;"><span class="s2">https://rodneywoodpoet.wordpress.com/about-me/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Heather Moulson: <a href="https://heathermoulsonpoet.com/about/"><span class="s2">https://heathermoulsonpoet.com/about/</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Matthew Paul: <a href="https://matthewpaulpoetry.blog/"><span class="s2">https://matthewpaulpoetry.blog/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pratibha Castle: <a href="https://wordsforthewild.co.uk/?page_id=9044"><span class="s2">https://wordsforthewild.co.uk/?page_id=9044</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Alwyn Marriage: <a href="http://www.marriages.me.uk/alwyn/"><span class="s2">http://www.marriages.me.uk/alwyn/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sharron Green: <a href="https://rhymesnroses.com/"><span class="s2">https://rhymesnroses.com/</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Dónall Dempsey: <a href="https://www.dempseyandwindle.com/donall-dempsey.html"><span class="s2">https://www.dempseyandwindle.com/donall-dempsey.html</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Patrick Osada: <a href="http://www.poetry-patrickosada.co.uk/"><span class="s2">http://www.poetry-patrickosada.co.uk/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">David Cooke: <a href="https://thehighwindowpress.com/about-2/"><span class="s2">https://thehighwindowpress.com/about-2/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Trisha Broomfield: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Trisha-Broomfield-Poetry-2340859049276291/"><span class="s2">https://www.facebook.com/Trisha-Broomfield-Poetry-2340859049276291/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHKCWsH18NfJkzysIJwAS9sTYqk3SepT1y93PNqyNAUyM6Qpnlmz2iMLgyUmxR0ZBKC4V3Nv5HVc547Hqe4ik-AlvImfBIvqj_oNbMgWesRR06zfQtDkCiwCk3xkeJNcSBtW8GJ7PS1w/s400/the+Keep+13.07.21.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="400" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHKCWsH18NfJkzysIJwAS9sTYqk3SepT1y93PNqyNAUyM6Qpnlmz2iMLgyUmxR0ZBKC4V3Nv5HVc547Hqe4ik-AlvImfBIvqj_oNbMgWesRR06zfQtDkCiwCk3xkeJNcSBtW8GJ7PS1w/s320/the+Keep+13.07.21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Alex Josephy: <a href="https://www.alexjosephy.net/"><span class="s2">https://www.alexjosephy.net/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ray Pool: <a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/raypool"><span class="s2">https://www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/raypool</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Richard Skinner: <a href="https://richardskinner.weebly.com/"><span class="s2">https://richardskinner.weebly.com/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Michelina Di Martino Miss Poet: <a href="https://m.facebook.com/misspoetmiki"><span class="s2">https://m.facebook.com/misspoetmiki</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Penny Sharman: <a href="https://pennysharman.co.uk/"><span class="s2">https://pennysharman.co.uk/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Alison Brackenbury: <a href="https://alisonbrackenbury.wordpress.com/"><span class="s2">https://alisonbrackenbury.wordpress.com/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Robert Garnham: <a href="https://professorofwhimsy.com/"><span class="s2">https://professorofwhimsy.com/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jean Atkin: <a href="https://jeanatkin.com/"><span class="s2">https://jeanatkin.com/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Richard Hawtree: <a href="https://www.dempseyandwindle.com/richard-hawtree.html"><span class="s2">https://www.dempseyandwindle.com/richard-hawtree.html</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Claire Dyer: <a href="https://clairedyer.com/"><span class="s2">https://clairedyer.com/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Dawn Wood: <a href="http://www.dawnwoodartist.co.uk/"><span class="s2">http://www.dawnwoodartist.co.uk/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sarah Hyman: <a href="http://sarahhymas.net/"><span class="s2">http://sarahhymas.net/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBn754yrQHcmYqlOroF6mWDRkI-OwRw_ssh_4AENANm4qwJdWRFDC6P9Wa1xRPXGpcQG3LyZRfNYelUNMzYSvPUwiNnpfxKbmjkb0abU5WlRk14Y-pTYHoI411cd8G9WRUIOCWS_gK05M/s900/261838585_3161140770879284_9143065513266880808_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="900" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBn754yrQHcmYqlOroF6mWDRkI-OwRw_ssh_4AENANm4qwJdWRFDC6P9Wa1xRPXGpcQG3LyZRfNYelUNMzYSvPUwiNnpfxKbmjkb0abU5WlRk14Y-pTYHoI411cd8G9WRUIOCWS_gK05M/s320/261838585_3161140770879284_9143065513266880808_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pamela Medland: <a href="https://stayhappening.com/e/planet-earth-poetry-feature-poet-pamela-medland-with-poetic-opener-medwyn-mcconachy-E2ISU1TW2K8"><span class="s2">https://stayhappening.com/e/planet-earth-poetry-feature-poet-pamela-medland-with-poetic-opener-medwyn-mcconachy-E2ISU1TW2K8</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Josephine LoRe: <a href="https://www.josephinelorepoet.com/"><span class="s2">https://www.josephinelorepoet.com/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Liv Johannesson: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/991282568272259"><span class="s2">https://www.facebook.com/groups/991282568272259</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stella Wulf <a href="https://www.stellawulf.com/"><span class="s2">https://www.stellawulf.com/</span></a></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gill Learner <a href="https://tworiverspress.com/2020/06/29/poet-of-the-week-13-gill-learner/"><span class="s2">https://tworiverspress.com/2020/06/29/poet-of-the-week-13-gill-learner/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And many others. I meet them too from time to time both on zoom and in person. Thus, I feel part of a group that exchanges ideas and shares a mutual passion for poetry. We like one another’s posts on Facebook and share photos and poems. We also meet in similar poetry spaces as our work appears in the same magazines and anthologies most of the time. It is impressive how social networks can be a way to communicate in a positive and constructive way.</span></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I regularly attend the poetry workshops with Tears in the Fence hosted by David Caddy on themes such as Home, Ethnopoetics, the Human and non-human and Duality and Time. The handouts and exercises are challenging and the group of poets is diverse. The focus is on language, sounds and etymology with a range of references that goes from Anglo-Saxon poetry to the most recent publications with connections to philosophy as well as global issues. I also attended the Tears in the Fence festival last September at the Stourpaine Village Hall; it was a unique experience I would like to repeat next year. Reaching Dorset from Surrey was a long journey, but it was worth it. The venue was heaven and the weather was gorgeous. The event was packed with readings of poets such as Mandy Pannett, Carol Watts, Harriet Tarlo, John Freeman, Luke Kennard, who read from his poetry collection <i>Notes on the Sonnets</i> which won the 2021 Forward Prize for Best Collection, Simon Collings and many others. The whole event was so interesting and involving. I bought quite a few books and reviewed some of them, here are the links:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzACIGstIAnu3nKkR1GUAhnL51tSufa-2tBBnjPrbZI4YSjsWUvwi7e5fin3BsjsGUiA1oJmgelvkMrLsA3R33Syo3qfvDTOsSmNWJuG01IGIv0eoDDyKkenkQeNq1sMxOgn2511jKkoY/s1440/IMG_20210905_071525_239.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzACIGstIAnu3nKkR1GUAhnL51tSufa-2tBBnjPrbZI4YSjsWUvwi7e5fin3BsjsGUiA1oJmgelvkMrLsA3R33Syo3qfvDTOsSmNWJuG01IGIv0eoDDyKkenkQeNq1sMxOgn2511jKkoY/s320/IMG_20210905_071525_239.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mandy Pannett, The Daedalus Files <a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/09/25/the-daedalus-files-by-mandy-pannett-spm-publications/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-7347"><span class="s2">https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/09/25/the-daedalus-files-by-mandy-pannett-spm-publications/#like-7347</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;">Harriet Tarlo, Cut Flowers</span><span class="s4" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/10/04/cut-flowers-by-harriet-tarlo-guillemot-press/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-7358"><span class="s5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/10/04/cut-flowers-by-harriet-tarlo-guillemot-press/#like-7358</span></a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;">Carol Watts, Kelptown</span><span class="s4" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/10/07/kelptown-by-carol-watts-shearsman-books/%22%20%5Cl%20%22like-7368"><span class="s5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">https://tearsinthefence.com/2021/10/07/kelptown-by-carol-watts-shearsman-books/#like-7368</span></a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also attended the Second Light festival online in November on the theme ‘Narrating the inner self’. The workshops were led my Jean Atkin, Hannah Lowe, Pascale Petit and Sarah Westcott, who are superb poets and great tutors. I could write a lot of first drafts inspired by the exercises and the poems the tutors selected for the workshops and am in the process of redrafting my work for a future new collection.</span></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Besides taking part in art exhibitions in Woking, I visited a certain number of exhibitions in Woking and in London too and reviewed some of them. Here are the links:</span></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s6" style="color: black; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty</span><span class="s4" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://www.litromagazine.com/reviews/exhibition-review-jean-dubuffet-brutal-beauty/"><span class="s7" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">https://www.litromagazine.com/reviews/exhibition-review-jean-dubuffet-brutal-beauty/</span></a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p6" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nightshaking with the Ingram Collection <a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2021/07/27/nightshaking-with-the-ingram-collection/"><span class="s2">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2021/07/27/nightshaking-with-the-ingram-collection/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;">Nero: The Man behind the Myth</span><span class="s4" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/nero-the-man-behind-the-myth-british-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=206&wppa-photo=3813"><span class="s5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/nero-the-man-behind-the-myth-british-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=206&wppa-photo=3813</span></a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGUCXz-d6FuFvOpJS2woARMOwQ1UoM3VgvtjWjrrJpmSvhbHTxS9hKZfNW0kH1ywfzTXDUJLNcJwFrgZmVGb-Vt73__BoKZeTypiYBLE6bsN2Z7j-JnKo-gD5t43fjUo0Pft8kwCw7aE/s2048/Bronze+of+Nero.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGUCXz-d6FuFvOpJS2woARMOwQ1UoM3VgvtjWjrrJpmSvhbHTxS9hKZfNW0kH1ywfzTXDUJLNcJwFrgZmVGb-Vt73__BoKZeTypiYBLE6bsN2Z7j-JnKo-gD5t43fjUo0Pft8kwCw7aE/w150-h200/Bronze+of+Nero.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;">Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser</span><span class="s4" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/alice-curiouser-and-curiouser-victoria-and-albert-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=208&wppa-photo=3897"><span class="s5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/alice-curiouser-and-curiouser-victoria-and-albert-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=208&wppa-photo=3897</span></a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;">Bags Inside Out</span><span class="s4" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/09/bags-inside-out-victoria-and-albert-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=212&wppa-photo=3996"><span class="s5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/09/bags-inside-out-victoria-and-albert-museum-review-by-carla-scarano/?wppa-occur=1&wppa-cover=0&wppa-album=212&wppa-photo=3996</span></a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;">Paula Rego</span><span class="s4" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/paula-rego-tate-britain-review-by-carla-scarano/"><span class="s5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">https://londongrip.co.uk/2021/08/paula-rego-tate-britain-review-by-carla-scarano/</span></a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkR5xEBcJTD8EOj5X0O_10t_h5yOTQTdnZpHqqAZJkXhRTkYLsTfr0HgUqQsYyi2e0gAjd7y_7WiFlOZKaJMXABzG98uOuATeU4O1P0Xsp9xrAaj8qi-I0cEkQQT3vJLGsqysCbYxiJU/s879/Bride%252C+1994.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="879" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkR5xEBcJTD8EOj5X0O_10t_h5yOTQTdnZpHqqAZJkXhRTkYLsTfr0HgUqQsYyi2e0gAjd7y_7WiFlOZKaJMXABzG98uOuATeU4O1P0Xsp9xrAaj8qi-I0cEkQQT3vJLGsqysCbYxiJU/s320/Bride%252C+1994.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;">Poussin and the Dance</span><span class="s4" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=118763"><span class="s5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=118763</span></a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth <a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2021/09/27/lines-of-beauty-master-drawings-from-chatsworth/"><span class="s2">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2021/09/27/lines-of-beauty-master-drawings-from-chatsworth/</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;">The Ingram Collection: Art for your World</span><span class="s4" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> <a href="https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2021/11/01/art-for-your-world/"><span class="s5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">https://wokingwriters.wordpress.com/2021/11/01/art-for-your-world/</span></a></span><span class="s1" style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="s1" style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpKejfH-q_vKtyeHpZbjdZQE-vuYBuiI7XjjCl_7_TZH1uc-wjP6yytpJq4uxQWfmJA0Dn_JAfIUpcPglAfA1rfnfjZX6R89ezDcCkNbzbbSV_WPd2tFBhvpXMBYoFWXcWROm0y9jL0E/s1000/Nelson.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpKejfH-q_vKtyeHpZbjdZQE-vuYBuiI7XjjCl_7_TZH1uc-wjP6yytpJq4uxQWfmJA0Dn_JAfIUpcPglAfA1rfnfjZX6R89ezDcCkNbzbbSV_WPd2tFBhvpXMBYoFWXcWROm0y9jL0E/w150-h200/Nelson.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I also attended online talks with the National Gallery and a wonderful workshop at Trafalgar square, Sketch in the Square, in which we analysed paintings by Poussin, Van Gogh, Botticelli and Michelangelo, took sketches and enjoyed the sun. Visiting art exhibitions and attending art workshops is so inspiring for me. It is not only a way to know more about art history but above all it is learning more about painting techniques, the use of forms and colours, the subjects chosen by the different artists and the way they develop their themes. Artists never work in isolation. There is always a mutual influence, they copy each other, steal and plagiarise in some way in an ongoing dialogue with past and present artworks. And this is how inspiration works.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p5" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Finally, here is one of my poems influenced by an English song that is the theme of a popular Italian radio program, Melog: Il piacere del Dubbio (the pleasure of doubt), broadcasted on Radio 24 and hosted by Gianluca Nicoletti:</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p3" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ60n_-BK6Q"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ60n_-BK6Q</span></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZUZZ2L3IemLmzSZZgL8TtAL886qR5b0Jmty0i_Kb2BDrVNna7AOF2Sj9GvAWSplBKJunbiAW9Jg5YF4l0Nn-OGBWMsOPd50gGO6n_UVltykE48HaybCzHBEDt-bDnC7nUmIEOlvwCs4/s1000/IMG_20211024_142115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZUZZ2L3IemLmzSZZgL8TtAL886qR5b0Jmty0i_Kb2BDrVNna7AOF2Sj9GvAWSplBKJunbiAW9Jg5YF4l0Nn-OGBWMsOPd50gGO6n_UVltykE48HaybCzHBEDt-bDnC7nUmIEOlvwCs4/w200-h150/IMG_20211024_142115.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">I don’t mind failing in this world</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I don’t mind failing in this world,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">there is so much to do</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">like boiling an egg or rediscovering a favourite scarf</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">that went missing.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I don’t mind failing in this world,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the days wake around me</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the rain arrives soft</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and the wind is gentle.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I don’t mind failing in this world,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I watch the clouds creating figures,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">the grammar of imagination</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">catches the winter sun.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Coffee is warm in the morning,</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">my hands brimful of gleaming stones.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>http://carlascarano.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.blogger.com/profile/11161873763153070626noreply@blogger.com0